And just like that… Has the tide turned on Carrie Bradshaw’s style?

By Leah Dolan, CNN

(CNN) — Carrie Bradshaw, the lead character played by Sarah Jessica Parker in the 1998-2004 TV series “Sex and the City,” has always been more of a fashion daredevil than a fashion darling. From the time she wore a floating belt fastened across her bare midriff (season 4 episode 15) to the cowboy hat, python-print bandeau and striped sarong (season 2, episode 17), Parker’s on-screen persona has never shied away from making a bold style statement.

Bradshaw’s sartorial abandon has long been part of her quirky allure. The Instagram account, @everyoutfitonsatc, has provided a diligent digital archive of the character’s best looks for its 746,000 followers. Many of the early SATC outfits documented are met with pure adoration by a throng of Carrie apologists ready to jump to her defense in the comments, even for the more visually challenging ensembles.

“This is one of my favorite Carrie looks! Something only she could’ve pulled off,” wrote one fan under an image of Bradshaw in a clashing neon pink and green Betsy Johnson tulle dress — complete with abstract printed leggings. “She’d look fabulous wearing anything.”

But since the launch of the series reboot “And Just Like That…” in 2021, Bradshaw’s wacky wardrobe has drawn more criticism than kudos. (HBO and Max, which airs “And Just Like That…,” are also owned by CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.) As filming for the show’s third season continues around New York City, Bradshaw has so far been spotted in ensembles including wearing a sheer, rose-stuffed frock from the Irish designer Simone Rocha (pictured above), as well as a vintage color-blocked Ossie Clark dress and an oversize floppy Maryam Keyhani gingham sun hat.

These looks have seemingly fallen flat with some viewers of the show. “Definitely too much,” read one critique under @everyoutfitonsatc’s post of Jessica Parker in the latter look. “This was not Carrie’s style… This is trash,” read another.

(Commentary surrounding the Simone Rocha-designed look was somewhat kinder, however, with dedicated followers of Bradshaw’s fashions showing appreciation for the nod to the character’s love of florals — and a visible bra. So was the response to the first new look Jessica Parker was spotted in while filming in recent weeks: A pair of prissy vintage pastel separates from YSL and Ralph Lauren respectively.)

The departure of Patricia Field, longtime stylist on “Sex and the City,” has given some sartorially-minded viewers of “And Just Like That…” a scapegoat for their grumblings. But Field plowed her own absurdist furrow when curating her characters’ wardrobes (and beyond). “Following fashion trends? It’s a waste,” she told The Guardian in February. “To me, fashion is a cousin of art. And like art, originality is what counts. When it starts to feel intimidating, it’s time to change.”

It’s an instinct that the show’s current stylists, Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago, have honored with Bradshaw’s melting pot of patterns and silhouettes — but one that has gone under appreciated. So has Bradshaw’s style really changed, or have we? Are audiences less tolerant towards an off-beat dresser in her late 50s, when compared to one in her 30s? It seems like a ripe topic for the character’s newspaper column, and one Jessica Parker has thoughts on too.

“There’s so much misogynist chatter in response to us that would never. Happen. About. A. Man,” the actor told Vogue in 2021. “Especially on social media. Everyone has something to say.”

The-CNN-Wire
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