Sex and The City.. and The Closet.. and The Manolos!

"Big is Moving to Paris." Carrie once proclaimed. Who Cares? It seems as if the whole series took a shift at some point, and made Carrie insufferable, dragging her away from a love for fashion, and a love for men, not any man, just Mr. Big. Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha, and Miranda: four names that styled an entire generation, and continued for years to come (without even knowing). Darren Star's Sex and the City (1998) wasn't just a show about dating and navigating adulthood in New York City. It was a revolution about how fashion told stories. Patricia Field, the show's costume designer, was able to transform each of the characters' closets and styles into a storyline. Miranda, the Gautier girl, Charlotte, the Chanel Girl, Carrie, the Manolo girl, and Samantha; fortune favored the bold, and it favored Samantha Jones. Throughout the six-season primetime phenomenon, SATC was able to inspire millions of generations of women who were all able to learn valuable lessons from the four best friends. Take it from me, as someone who has rewatched the series 5 times, yep 5. Every time, each rewatch meant something important to me, whether watching it for the first time, watching it with my college roommates, watching it with my mom, or watching for funsies. I continue to be inspired and in awe of such a beautiful series that we will never get again. Two decades later, after its final episode, SATC still ripples through the fashion world and into our own wardrobes.

Carrie Bradshaw - Mother of Trends

Where should I even begin. This New York City writer of her column, Sex and The City (inspired by Candace Bushnell's actual life) is the ultimate style icon. Often recognized as the "mother of all trends", we have Carrie to thank for our beautiful Manolo Blahnik's, Fendi Baguette Bags, and more. Carrie herself as a character is an icon, and Sarah Jessica Parker herself is no stranger to fashion. However, the real credit goes to the stylists behind the scenes, in SATC, we thank mothers Patricia Field and Rebecca Weinberg <3 I think that the reason why Carrie's style is so iconic and pervasive is that she truly just always wore whatever the hell she wanted, without a care in the world, which is a lesson I think we can all learn from. As Diana Freeland once wrote, "Never fear being vulgar, only boring." To look back and reflect on some of the most iconic Carrie Bradshaw outfits, you would have to sit me down for hours and hours for a yap session.

BUT if you HAD TO twist my arm and beg me for one outfit, it would be the Christian Dior Newspaper Dress. Where can I even begin? I dont think I have ever seen a more beautiful piece of clothing in my LIFE! SJP became the unofficial poster girl for John Galliano's famed newspaper dress. Carrie wears said beautiful masterpiece in SATC season 3 episode 17, "What comes around goes around". Although I personally think that dress is one of the most, if not the most iconic looks worn by Carrie Bradshaw due to its uniqueness and beautifulness of the dress, for me its more iconic as it had an extremely important history following the show. John Galliano's newspaper dress (Dior, Fall 2000) is important for its very controversial "homeless chic" aesthetic that it was criticized for, all the while becoming a pop culture icon after Carrie's debut. Galliano is known for appropriating cultures, so his incorporation of "hobo chic" isn't surprising, but what I love most about it is that it became a piece of socio-political commentary, achieveing mass media and pop culture fame for decades to come, all because of miss Carrie herself. Yes- at some points throughout the show you can reflect back and say to yourself that SATC can be shallow, but we would be all kidding ourselves if we did not enjoy being able to take a step back from our daily troubles and have 20 minutes of stylish freedom. Carrie's style is consistently uplifting, fun, and unserious. To me, she is the ideal vision of what we all should be comfortable with, and that is being ourselves through our clothing.

Samantha Jones - I love you, but I love me more

Call me crazy, but SATC was probably the most, if not one of the most progressive TV shows in the early 2000's. Samantha Jones is part of the core four, and is the oldest female protagonist within the program itself. Samantha Jones is easily my favorite character (for reasons aside from sharing a fabulous name with her). She's incredibly confident, but she's also a very important reminder to us that confidence does not come without its set of insecurities, and in order to heal and resolve those for ourselves, we must find beauty and confidence within ourselves to overcome. Samantha is extremely confident in herself as a woman and her ability as a PR professional (kind of ironic right? A Samantha that too is wanting to go into PR.. weird?) Because of this, she is the least boy crazy and boy-centered within the core four, even though she has her moments here and there. One of the things I admire most about her character, is how she is a complete girls' girl when it comes to her friend group. Nothing can get in the way of Samantha Jones and her girls, and that is something that I very much admire. If you ask someone to describe Samantha Jones of SATC, youll most likely get a description with the words funny, chic, sexy, and raunchy in it. Her antics within the show are terrifying, unrealistic, yet empowering and revolutionary, and for that, I LOVE HER! Kim Cattrall's Jones was always the most out there, fearless, crazy, and charismatic of the characters, and so too were her clothes.

Arguably, my most favorite looks of Samantha, and one that I have recreated myself, is her gorgeous all white pantsuit. In SATC Season 5 Episode 6 "Critical Condition", Jones rocks a Versace Spring RTW 1996 Women's white pantsuit. Although the look itself on her is iconic for a businesswoman, the white pantsuit goes beyond just a powerful look for the show. A white pantsuit for women is a powerful symbol of female empowerment, and solidarity of the women's suffurage movement, something that Samantha Jones very easily does throughout the entire series. It is a modern take on the suffragette's white attire, paying homage thorugh political workwear as a symbol of sisterhood and solidarity. Yes, call Samantha Jones crazy, but call her a girls girl. Say that she will always be there for her girls, and for that, she is easily my favorite character out of the show (and also because I can say I was named after an ICON, even though I may not know how true that is but we can all tell ourselves white lies here and there).

Miranda Hobbes - I can do romance, but I won't do delusion

From the moment Miranda Hobbes entered the screen in the pilot of SATC, in a power suit and baby blue pinstriped button down (all while filling a plastic container for her lunch break) you can tell that we were in for a ride. Miranda always made it clear that she was meant to have a more contrasted style in comparison to her more feminine group of friends. There were very few times that Miranda wore a dress, and would not show up in half the crazy outfits that Carrie would wear (for all the good reasons). Miranda had a pixie cut, was a smart woman in a male-dominated industry, and was opinionated and outspoken, all things that many women were afraid to do so at the time. Its not surprising that the viewer sees her as the least desriable choice. Looking back, some of Miranda's actions today can ring a "Karen" bell, but it is extremely important to note that despite this, she was iconically and admirably confident in herself, despite a lot of the pushback from society in the show, and society watching the show. Throughout the series and through the girls' dating life debriefs, we would hear "Big is Moving to Paris", Samantha complain about another one of her bad hookups, Charlotte complain about how she will never find her husband, but never about Miranda's woes. Miranda did not seek the advice or validation that her friends often needed. It wasn't because she did not have some of the similar struggles as the girls, but rather that there wasn't much for her to need advice on or needed to be unpacked because she knew where she stood all along. She held a work life balance that I can only ever dream of having, while always being down for a night out with the girl. Her style was always flawless, sophisticated, and true to her character. Corporate chic in power suits, cool and casual in overalls, mesh tanks, and perfectly layered pieces that were all appropriate for anything life would throw at her. Miranda has seriously got to be the most severely underappreciated character of the show. While I have to admit that some of the most outrageous and ridiculous looks sometimes came from Miranda, I think that it perfectly represented her no bullshit lifestyle. Over time we see Miranda's taste develop to more feminine silhouettes, as her character also evolves and as she softens into different relationships... enter... Steve... This contrast is a very important one as she takes on different challenges of motherhood and partnerships and what she continues to find important in life, which is something that continues to evolve. My favorite Hobbes look is when she wore black to a wedding with Carrie. While I am not endorsing wearing black to a wedding, as you may get some looks here and there, the mesh on the neckline is what really drew me in. I also might be biased because I think that an LBD is one of the best outfits a woman could wear, but in this case, Miranda really blew it out of the park. In Season 2 Episode 7, "The Chicken Dance," Miranda wears the beautiful dress. Although simple, it was one of the rare occurrences where Miranda wore a dress, but what made it special is that it was one of the first times where we started to see this confidence and outfit shifts within her character. Something so simple yet so elegant, exactly like Miranda's character herself.

Charlotte York - Manhattan's Princess

Call me old fashioned, but Charlotte has always been the emotional heart of SATC, and one of the most annoying, yet admirable characters of the entire series. While she may be the most traditional of the core four, Charlotte was never just a Park Avenue princess. She's the character that reminds us that softness is not weakness, that dreaming big does not make you naïve, and that wanting love, is a strength in itself. Charlotte possesses an annoying yet unmatched commitment to romance and goodness, but also shows us how we can be resilient, strong, yet gentle. She is incredibly self aware, endlessly hopefyl, and perhaps the biggest endorser for "happily ever after'. Although she is often labeled as the "conservative" one of the group, she is also the one that will show up with freshly baked goods, full pack of tissues, and a perfectly wrapped gift to make anyone feel better, because nobody outdoes Charlotte York. Sometimes dramatic, romantic, and disciplined, Charlotte York is deeply rooted in the beliefs and ideals of beauty, loyalty, and friendship. Despite being one of the most annoying characters in my opinion, the show would not exist without her. She is the glue that held the girls together, and for that I cannot respect her enough. For me, one of Charlotte's most memorable looks, and one that has cemented itself in SATC fashion history, is in Season 5, Episode 3 "Luck Be an Old Lady" where the girls travel to Atlantic Cirty (i know.. ironic for Charlotte) for her 36th birthday. Charlotte blows the crowd away, and also the audience by wearing probably the most unlike Charlottle outfit of the enitre series. It was sparkly, low-cut, and it looked like it came out of Samantha's closet rather than her own. For this reason, it is one of my favorites as it is representative of stepping out of our comfort zone, and beingempowered to still feel our best. If we dont try new things, or new looks , how will we ever live an exciting life? This outfit signified a pivotal moment in Charlotte's character arc for me personally, and demonstrated that she was able to try something new, and execute it flawlessly, reminding us that life is never that serious, and we should all be encouraged to take risks outside of our comfort zones here and there.

Some people love the show, some people hate it, but one thing you cannot call SATC is unmemorable. Arguably, I believe that this series is something that every woman should watch atleast once in their lives (ask my mom.. she swears by it). Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte are 4 powerhouses of women that all can remind us a little bit of ourselves. Although living somewhat lavish lives, the series aims to empower women through its characters and stories, that can all remind us of our own lives, and what we might be going through. Being creative and stepping outside of your comfort zone through fashion is one of the many reasons why I love this show, and why I am so thankful I have genuinely been obsessed with it for so long that it has nearly become my religion. We may not all agree on our favorite characters, and I will probably judge you if its Charlotte, however, each of the girls taught me something super important about myself, and I hope they do the same for you. Through their iconic looks, we can look back on the series and thank the stylists, as well as the actresses for creating such iconic characters and dressing them in certain ways that can help us choose what to wear, and also not what to wear. I genuinely do not know what I would do without Sex and The City, and am so thankful for all of the lessons these wonderful women have taught me throughout my life. Navigating your 20's is something that is far from easy, and with the help of our parasocial 4 best friends, we will all be okay.