Costume designers for And Just Like That… season two reveal $3 million wardrobe budget
I first discovered Sex and the City (SATC) in my dark and dingy uni bedroom a few years ago, and ever since I’ve made it my top priority in life to recreate Carrie Bradshaw’s dreamy walk-in wardrobe for myself. While the show did have many problematic moments that if released today would be at the centre of controversy, the show’s collective wardrobe will always faultless. As SATC’s sequel And Just Like That… (AJLT) second season hits our screens, let’s have a look at the secrets behind New York City’s most enviable wardrobe. Spoiler alert, you might want to start saving now.
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What to expect from Carrie’s wardrobe in season 2?
Although she is the star of the show, Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, isn’t the only character with impressive fashion. The second season of AJLT sees a trip to the Met Gala where a number of our favourite ladies are dressed in Valentino and vintage Vivienne Westwood, as well as plenty of Fendi. Overall, it’s a complete style fever dream.
The show’s token business woman, Miranda Hobbes, played by Cynthia Nixon, is in an era of self-rediscovery this season. In the OG series, Hobbes was adamantly pursuing law and becoming minted in the process, until she chose to get married and have a family—boo. Now in her 50s, she’s divorced and having even more sex in the city than ever.
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Her wardrobe mirrors her evolution. As she explores her sexuality with the show’s first non-binary character Che, she also continues to play with gender in her fashion. Throughout her 20s, and even now, she confidently wears power suits, which have evolved with vibrant colours and fearless pattern combinations. While we appreciated Hobbes’s commitment to embracing neutrality, we’re so glad that in season two, she has brought back her glorious ginger bob.
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The Bradshaw revamp hasn’t seen too much change, she’s still as expressive as ever when it comes to her clothes. Think of plenty of voluminous maxi tutus and metallic platforms. However, in the past, she was guilty of using her oven for her wardrobe overspill, now she’s turned on the gas and is finally cooking actual food—don’t fret the garmz haven’t been fried. She’s even spotted in a pair of rubber washing up gloves, is Bradshaw in her housewife era? Say it isn’t so.
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How much does it cost to dress like Carrie Bradshaw?
If you’re wondering how much it costs to dress like Miss Bradshaw, the answer is a humble $3 million. That’s right, AJLT’s costume department did not hold back when it came to borrowing clothes for the characters we all know and love. As Bradshaw once famously said: “I like my money where I can see it—hanging in my closet,.” or of course in the form of a pair of Manolo Blaniks tucked away in her oven.
Not all the clothes were brand spanking new, however. After one hell of a fashion mishap minutes before the AJLT clan attended the Met Gala (we won’t spoil too much), Bradshaw whipped out her old vintage Vivienne Westwood wedding dress and headed to the famous Met steps. And so a dress that was metaphorically sewn together with pain and suffering as a result of a certain ex-husband now has a new life filled with glamour. Not even Kim Kardashian can out dress our Carrie—there we said it.
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Along with the iconic wedding dress, Fendi baguettes and John Galliano newspaper dresses were pulled from the archives of TV history for the SATC sequel. Bradshaw’s spending habits in the OG series were somewhat unrealistic for a freelance journalist living in New York’s, but in hindsight, she was onto something consdering the cost of her wardrobe has more than doubled in value since.
Fendi Baguettes became one of Bradshaw’s signature accessories and now have the Depop girlies drooling over them. Finding a rare Fendi is at the top of everyone wanting to curate the best Y2K wardrobe’s wish list. The resale price of a Fendi has increased in value by 20 per cent since 2018, so if you’re thinking of a cheeky present to treat yourself with, a Fendi Baguette is a worthwhile investment.
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By comparison, The Devil Wears Prada costume designers spent a whopping $1 million on clothes which, in classic Meryl Streep style, the actress chose to donate the drip to charity. Despite millions being dropped for whole costume departments it’s far from the most expensive costumes in TV and film history. Audrey Hepburn’s famous Ascot dress from My Fair Lady was sold at auction for $4.5 million in 2011, and that was all for one single dress, not the entire wardrobe.
If there’s anything to learn from this season of AJLT, first it’s that your 50s are just as fun as your 20s so there’s no need to be afraid of getting older. Second, if Bradshaw can drop millions of dollars on clothes, creeping into your overdraft to treat yourself to your latest Vinted find is nothing to worry about. At least not for now…
