I remember once listening to an interview with Sex and the City writer/director/executive producer Michael Patrick King, who mentioned off-handedly that the show, save for a few pointed exceptions, mostly took place in the spring and summer.
Thinking back, that makes total sense. Carrie Bradshaw is, essentially, a creature of the summer. While she is an undoubted fashion girl—the type for whom autumnal layers is a downright obsession—there is a warm-weather simplicity to much of her wardrobe. Which isn’t to say it’s boring or quotidian. No, never. Beneath all the kookiness, the irreverence, the chaos, there is a foundation of sensuality and ease. When I think of Carrie Bradshaw, my mind immediately goes to the image of her in a dead-simple, body-hugging dress with a designer bag and shoes worthy of a double-take. In fact, there’s a tweet I recently saw of her in a sleeveless gray T-shirt dress, with tan Manolos and aviator sunglasses, that reads: “this is the best anyone has looked in the history of ever.” You know what? I’d have to agree.
Under the watchful eye of Pat Field, the power of Carrie Bradshaw’s summer wardrobe was that, despite all the flashy designer goodies and eccentricities, she looked like a real New Yorker. Anyone who has lived in the city through a summer will recognize the familiar gesture of trying to look one’s best under less-than-ideal meteorological circumstances. Dressing for the day, but also for ourselves. OK, maybe that’s a bit of a lie; this is, at its core, a city to be seen in—to be perceived—so you’re inevitably dressing for the eyes of others. Even though it took place long before the advent of social media, Carrie understood the unfathomable possibilities that New York had in store, and she wanted to look incredible—to look interesting—for all of them. She wanted to dress up for a potential suitor, for her friends, but, perhaps most all, the city itself.
As you’d expect, there’s a surprising breadth in her summer looks. Some days that meant piped mesh gym shorts and a vaguely pleasant-style blouse, while on others it was a white sundress (perhaps with a parasol). Maybe mid-waist jeans and a cap-sleeve ringer tee for casual drinks with the girls on a humid night, or a long-sleeve crop-top paired with a striped Prada skirt. Maybe a ribbed tank, or a Galliano newspaper-print dress. Some days, when you’re feeling like turning some heads, it’s hot pants and a tube top, or a painterly Richard Tyler wrap-dress with a drizzle of frill at the hem neckline when you’re meeting a special someone for lunch at the Boathouse. The list goes on.
The point is, as summer descends, it’s a reminder that, yes, “no one has ever looked better in the history of ever” than Carrie Bradshaw. More specifically: Carrie Bradshaw in the summer. Inevitably, she is the blueprint for a certain type of New Yorker trying to get by in the city, contending with a balmy day and the promise of a night out that could start with a casual glass of wine and end at dawn. With all that in mind, here are just some of the many inspirational CB-approved outfits that can help you, too, to have a Carrie Bradshaw summer.
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