Dressed To Express: The Symbolic Wardrobe Of Sex And The City's Leading Ladies

Sex and the City has been added to Netflix and clips of the cult classic TV show have been making the rounds on social media. We’ve been reminded of how the SATC women are always dressed to impress, no matter what dating conflict they are battling. If you look closely enough, their outfits always reflect their thoughts and feelings.

Carries Christian Dior newspaper dress.

This one is a classic. Who wears a designer dress to hunt down the wife of their ex-boyfriend to apologize for an affair with said ex-boyfriend? Carrie Bradshaw does. 

If you need to apologize to someone, what better way to do it than wearing a printed newspaper dress? The dress signifies that Carrie and Big’s elicit affair is no longer under wraps. It’s out in the open – headline news.

Samantha’s barely-there baby shower top.

Throughout most of the show, Samantha is single, proud of it, and wants people to know it. When faced with the agonizing task of attending the baby shower of an ex-New York party girl, Samantha goes against the grain and wears a midriff-baring fuchsia top, jeans, and a leather jacket with a bottle of wine as an accessory. 

The combination of the style of top and fuchsia pink signifies an air of confidence and assurance. Samantha is solidifying her place as the ultimate New York It Girl. Wearing it to a baby shower shows that Samantha subconsciously feels a need to prove that married life is not all its shaped up to be. She’s single and fabulous and wants everyone to know it.

Charlotte’s Bold Bridesmaid Dress

Although this look is from the first Sex and The City movie instead of the series, it is the physical representation of one of the most iconic SATC moments. At first glance, it would seem strange that Charlotte York Goldenblatt, known for her preppy, upstate New York socialite style, would wear such a gallant bridesmaid dress. 

The style of the dress, embellished with ruffles that give off the effect of black feathers could be alluding to a black swan. It completely reflects the emotions of Charlotte in the iconic scene of her stopping Mr. Big from speaking to Carrie after he failed to show up for their wedding. On a busy New York Street, with teary eyes filled with anger, Charlotte shouts at Big. The gesture borders on being out of character, due to her respective nature she would never normally make a scene in public. It was a true black swan moment, but it made complete sense coming from a character that spent an entire series waiting for a perfect marriage.

Miranda’s Dungarees Disguise

This outfit tells us what is about to happen before it happens. During the episode in which it features, Miranda is annoyed at her friend's lack of ability to talk about anything other than Carrie’s break up with Big. Until she runs into an ex of her own. 

It just so happens that, whilst running into her ex, Miranda is dressed in dungarees, a baseball cap, and an oversized puffer jacket. Also known as, the perfect disguise. The outfit signifies that, although declaring that she got over her ex a long time ago, Miranda has hidden her feelings under layers of oversized clothing. She also just so happens to be wearing trainers, perfect for running in the other direction.

Props to SATC costume designer Patricia Fields for so perfectly curating outfits to reflect the thoughts and feelings of four different women leading four very different lives. 

Up next, Funny Girl, A Masterclass In Costume.