No television character has shaped how people dress quite like Carrie Bradshaw. For six seasons of Sex and the City, two films and three seasons of And Just Like That…, Sarah Jessica Parker’s columnist wore tutus to cross the street, couture to eat at McDonald’s and a nameplate necklace with everything. She broke every rule about what goes with what, and somehow made it look like the only way to get dressed. Here are 43 of her best looks.
What made Carrie’s style work
Costume designer Patricia Field, who dressed the original series and both films, built Carrie’s wardrobe on a mix that nobody else on television was attempting: vintage and thrift finds next to Dior, Chanel and Versace, a bra worn as a top, a giant fabric flower on a plain dress. The rule was that there were no rules, as long as the outfit had a point of view. In And Just Like That…, Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago carried that spirit into Carrie’s fifties, with more colour, more volume and just as much nerve.
The things she always comes back to:
- Full skirts, from the tutu to tulle maxis
- Slip dresses and short, simple dresses with sky-high heels
- Big statement coats, especially fur and patchwork
- Oversized fabric flowers and brooches
- Clashing prints and colours
- Designer bags and, always, the shoes
The 43 best Carrie Bradshaw outfits
1. The tutu
Where it all starts: a pink tank and a tulle tutu in the opening credits, worn for a bus to splash. It may be the most famous outfit in television history.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
2. The naked dress
The barely-there pink slip dress from season one, worn for a date with Mr. Big. Small, simple and unforgettable.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
3. The little black dress and the shopping bag
A fitted black mini, sunglasses and a shopping bag swinging on the arm: Carrie at her most classic.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
4. The cream slip dress
A long cream slip dress on a Manhattan sidewalk, the essence of late-nineties minimalism.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
5. Black top, black skirt, wild curls
A sleeveless black top and long black skirt, with the curls doing all the work.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
6. The fur coat
Carrie’s shaggy fur coat over a short slip, with shopping bags in hand.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
7. Fur and a blue flower
A fur collar, a pink top and an oversized blue fabric flower: the corsage became one of her signatures.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
8. The giant white flower
A plain white dress turned into a statement by one enormous flower.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
9. The patchwork coat
A multicoloured patchwork coat, reportedly from Patricia Field’s own collection.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
10. The lace-up corset top
A tan corset top laced at the front, with low-slung jeans and a leather bag.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
11. The belted knit dress
A soft beige knit with a chunky belt and a long pendant.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
12. The pink ruffled shirt and floral jeans
A sheer pink ruffled shirt with flower-printed jeans: two loud pieces that should clash, and do, beautifully.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
13. The grey cardigan
Even Carrie dresses down: a soft grey cardigan, with a pink box from the bakery.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
14. The white tank
A plain white tank and big curls, proof that she could make the simplest thing look like a choice.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
15. Black tie at the bar
A shimmering ivory top with a black bow at the neck, cocktail in hand.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
16. The red two-piece
A red cropped top and long red skirt, with a small black hat, at dinner.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
17. The red umbrella
A black coat on a rainy day, rescued by one bright red umbrella.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
18. Stripes on a Paris balcony
Arriving in Paris in the final season, Carrie goes head to toe in black-and-white stripes, with the Eiffel Tower behind her.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
19. The beret and the sparkly jacket
A black beret with a pearl trim, a glittering black jacket and a small white clutch.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
20. Polka dots in Paris
A pink polka-dot skirt peeking out from a long black coat, with a glimpse of mint petticoat.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
21. The Versace gown
The cloud of grey tulle she wears in the series finale in Paris, one of the most romantic gowns of her whole run.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
22. Green tulle under the Eiffel Tower
Running through Paris at night in a pale green tulle dress, the final scenes of the series.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
23. The floral slip in the fitting room
A long dark slip dress covered in big painted flowers.
Image: Pinterest
24. The ball skirt and the T-shirt
In Sex and the City 2, a purple ball skirt worn with a simple graphic T-shirt: high and low in one outfit.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City 2, Warner Bros.
25. Stripes and a tulle maxi
The tutu, grown up: a full white tulle maxi skirt with a striped sweater, on a brownstone stoop.
Image: Pinterest · And Just Like That…, Max
26. Pink and yellow feathers
A pink dress under a fluffy yellow coat: colour and texture turned all the way up.
Image: Pinterest · And Just Like That…, Max
27. The rainbow-striped skirt
A full skirt in bright multicoloured stripes, worn with a simple top.
Image: Pinterest · And Just Like That…, Max
28. Plaid trousers and a denim jacket
Bright pink plaid trousers under a cropped denim jacket, with a shopping bag.
Image: Pinterest
29. White trousers and a scarf
Crisp white trousers, a pink shirt and a silk scarf worn as a top layer, with a white bucket bag.
Image: Pinterest
30. The camel coat in the snow
A long camel coat and a slouchy hat on a snowy street.
Image: Pinterest
31. The plaid patchwork coat
A long coat pieced together from different plaids, with a hat and a crossbody bag. Patchwork, thirty years on, is still her thing.
Image: Pinterest
32. The Dior newspaper dress
A slip dress covered in John Galliano’s Dior newspaper print, from season three.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
33. The Vivienne Westwood wedding dress
The ivory silk gown with a blue bird in her hair, from Sex and the City (2008).
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City: The Movie, New Line Cinema
34. Strapless dress and a butterfly belt
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
35. White coat and gold boots
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
36. A green skirt and a plaid scarf
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
37. Blue top, red skirt
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
38. Pink floral ruffles
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
39. The pink feather top
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
40. Plaid trousers at home
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
41. The floral dress at the dressmaker’s
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
42. Red halter, jeans and the nameplate
The gold “Carrie” nameplate necklace started a trend that still hasn’t ended.
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
43. Denim jacket and the nameplate
Image: Pinterest · Sex and the City, HBO
How to wear Carrie’s style today
Pick one piece that would make most people hesitate, a tulle skirt, a fabric flower, a patchwork coat, and build a plain outfit around it. Mix something vintage with something new, and something expensive with something cheap. Wear the good shoes. And never worry about whether things “go”: for Carrie, the clash was always the point.
Frequently asked questions
Who designed Carrie Bradshaw’s costumes?
Patricia Field dressed Carrie for the original Sex and the City series and both films. Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago took over for And Just Like That….
What is Carrie Bradshaw’s most famous outfit?
The pink tank and tulle tutu from the opening credits, followed closely by the naked dress and the grey Versace gown in Paris.
What is Carrie Bradshaw’s style called?
It is usually described as eclectic or maximalist: vintage mixed with designer, bold prints and colours, statement accessories and full skirts.
Images are embedded from Pinterest and remain the property of their owners. Sex and the City © HBO; Sex and the City 2 © Warner Bros.; And Just Like That… © Max.
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