Style Moves: Carrie Bradshaw
Wow, groundbreaking.
While everyone spent the spring mining resale sites for the best CBK-era Calvin Klein and decimating CO Bigelow’s stock of tortoise headbands thanks to Love Story1, I was finding my ‘90s style inspiration in another evergreen well.
Sex and the City: ever heard of it?
I’m not sure what compelled me to start a rewatch, but I’m glad I did. Sex and the City is a show that rewards revisits, acting like a kind of Rorschach test for wherever you’re at in your life. I first watched in college, borrowing DVD sets from my obsessed older coworker at my mall job who insisted I fill in this absurd culture gap. It’s funny to think about, but at the time, living in New York City wasn’t anywhere near my radar; still, the world of Carrie and her friends felt like a sexy promise of what my life would be like in a few short years. Then I watched again in my early 30s, when I was the same age as the girls and actually walking the same streets they did, and although the city and dating had changed drastically, so much of it felt true to the experiences I was having.
Now, on the verge of entering a new decade, Sex and the City has taken on a new resonance with me – especially the show’s sixth and final season. Carrie questioning whether she wants to become a mother; Charlotte’s fertility struggles; Miranda realizing her life isn’t all about her anymore; Samantha’s breast cancer diagnosis; the end of your 30s really can feel drastically different than the start of it, no matter how young you still feel. (Or, let’s be real, act.) Rewatching earlier seasons at my age makes me want to shake Carrie and tell her that things would be fine if she just communicated a feeling or a need once in a while, Jesus! but makes me weep rewatching later seasons.
Of course, the one thing that’s remained true ever since my first watch is that I am obsessed with the fashion. Listen, I’m not going to say anything revolutionary here. Sex and the City first started airing back in 1998, and people have been copying Carrie Bradshaw ever since. Patricia Field achieved the kind of iconic, of-its-time-yet-timeless costume design that is incredibly rare and she deserves her Hall of Fame status for it.
But I found on this rewatch that I was less interested in Carrie’s label whoring and overflowing closet (though, fine, I’m also interested in that) and more captivated by the way she wears her clothes. Especially in seasons two and three – the best of the series, as far as I’m concerned2 – there’s a very real, lived-in quality to Carrie’s wardrobe. (It’s still good in later seasons, but it does teeter over into costume territory in a way that speaks to me less.)
It got me thinking about how I could steal style moves from Carrie to capture the vibe of what I loved about it without trying to track down exact pieces (for the most part; you’ll see what I mean) or buying things that don’t work in my wardrobe. Here’s the breakdown:
Exposed bras
There are certain memorable Carrie looks where the bra is fully incorporated into the outfit, but as I was rewatching, I was struck by just how often Carrie had her bra straps fully hanging out or a colorful bra showing through a sheer top. I was taught that this was always a fashion faux pas! (Raise your hand if you were raised in the era of a “clear” bra strap option.) And yet here was a style icon treating her bras like just another layer of the lewk.
So I couldn’t help but wonder (sorry, you knew I would do that, right?): Could I pull off this daring feat of bra-as-accessory? The idea of wearing whatever I wanted without hunting for the right strapless or nude bra spoke to me, man. I bought a few candy colored bras from Victoria’s Secret, on sale for $21.99, to test out the theory and I have to say, I’ve found it life-changing. It makes getting dressed easier and frankly, more fun. (Nude underwear is always the ugliest stuff known to mankind as far as I’m concerned.) Cuup also has a score of bright mesh bras in both a plunge and a balconette style for $68.
And speaking of balconettes: That’s Carrie’s silhouette of choice, and one I’ve always tried to make work for me. They never look right, though, and I think I have to accept I don’t have the right breast shape for a balconette. (This is totally a thing, by the way; different bra styles work better for different breast shapes!) I’ve long wanted to add Fleur du Mal’s topstitch convertible bra to my drawer; maybe I’ll give it another go.
Unexpected combos
I always delight in seeing Carrie wear something that feels like she kinda just threw it on without thinking too much about it; not overly matchy or styled, but still cute. That’s how most people get dressed!
The example everyone knows, I’m sure, is the track short and mule combo she wears when she loses Aiden’s dog, Pete, while arguing with Big about their affair. It was undoubtedly the precursor to this 2025 Zoë Kravitz look that’s been on everyone’s inspiration board ever since (including mine), which was then duped for Reformation’s Umbro collab. I was too slow to grab those Scottie shorts, by the way; fingers crossed for a restock. Until then, there are plenty of actual athletic brands offering similar styles at reasonable prices, like these satin shorts from Adidas ($40), these mid-rise shorts from Lululemon (on sale!), or these terry shorts from Nike for an extra touch of sporty ($39.97). These taffeta shorts from Los Angeles Apparel ($36) come in a rainbow of colors.
But my personal favorite is this sheer top and cargo shorts combo seen when Carrie screams, “You’re SO busy!!!!” at a man who slams into her (a scene I think about all the time living in New York, naturally). It has me, quite sincerely, considering a pair of cargo shorts in the big 2026. Abercrombie has a cute pair, currently on sale for $45, and Banana Republic has a reissue pair for $100, but truthfully, to nail the Carrie vibe, I think they have to be men’s. I’d style them with a tube top, like this $14.99 smocked style from Old Navy ( Maura Brannigan has me investigating tube tops again), or a sheer button-down, like Reformation’s Eli shirt. I find that this move is a way for me to incorporate more sporty or casual pieces into my wardrobe while still feeling “me.”
This outfit:
I mean, that’s it, that’s the whole point. Everything about this look is perfection as far as I’m concerned: Sexy and easy. I’m pretty sure this has landed on just about every designer’s inspo board at some point, so you can find a version of this across price ranges – Quince has a light gray style for $39.90, Reformation has one in some pretty summer prints for $148, Norma Kamali has a black super-mini at $185.
But as far as I’m concerned, in my search for this exact vibe, the gold standard is Eterne’s Carrie dress. (Duh, it’s right there in the name.) For some reason, it’s no longer listed on their website, but you can get it in black at Bergdorf for the original, somewhat-spicy price of $295, and Revolve has a few colors listed at $198. I grabbed one in a cream color on super-sale at $74 (still left in XL, act fast!) and now I want a few more; you can also find them on sites like Poshmark and eBay, if you’re into that.
I kept the vibes with a pair of black aviators from Warby Parker, though I went for gold accents instead of all-black because that works better with my style. (All-black was just this side of too sporty.) And even without the stilettos – sorry, Carrie, I can’t do it – you bet your ass I felt cool as hell walking through Soho one balmy Friday morning to meet friends for breakfast.
Rewearing the things you love
I know, insane thing to suggest: Rewearing your clothes? In this influencer economy?! But truly, the most chic people you know have style signatures and pieces that they wear over and over and over. I took real delight in noticing when Carrie would rewear a certain shoe or a bag because it felt real. That’s what someone who loves their clothes would do! (This is why I get bummed in later seasons where it feels like once something is worn it can never be seen again.)
The big one for me, though it’s not seasonally appropriate for summer, is this fur coat. Carrie wears it to the new Yankee game, running into Big on the street having a solo lunch, conversing with The Politician on her stoop. It appears to zipper from a full length to a hip length, which is so chic to me. I dug a vintage fur from the depths of The RealReal for a whopping $100 and wore it most of last winter; I recently took it in for repairs (the lining was coming undone; the perils of secondhand) and conditioning and plan to wear it again all next winter. Proof you don’t have to have new new new new new all the time.
Related: Jewelry devotion
For as much as Carrie is known for her bags and shoes, when it comes to jewelry, I noticed that she becomes devoted to a certain piece or style nearly every season. The most famous example, naturally, is the nameplate necklace, probably closely followed by the giant flower brooches that dominated season three. I’ve always loved the diamond necklace with two dark sapphires that she wears a lot in season six. But again, the thing that speaks to me here is that this is how people wear their jewelry. You find a piece and obsess over it for a few months, or change up your necklaces based on a trend, or invest in something special for yourself.
At the start of the summer, I grabbed one of these giant feather brooches from Etsy seller FancyGirlBoutiqueNYC and it’s been DELIGHTFUL. I am making myself wait to see how much I actually wear the one I bought, because $79.99 is not quite a stock-up-on-every-color price, but I do want more.
This is a huge splurge at over $5k, but I’m eyeing this wavy diamond tennis necklace by Alexandra Beth. (I’m thinking about investing in a tennis necklace for my 40th; more on that later.) In the more affordable range, the beaded necklace trend feels very Carrie, like this one from BaubleBar, or into the extra-long pendant styles, like this one from Chan Luu. And at $8 a pop, I’ve indulged in the cheap thrill of these seed bead necklaces to wear poolside when I don’t want to wear my more expensive pieces.
Okay, and I did also watch Love Story, obviously. Sarah Pidgeon girl sit tight I’m gonna get you that Emmy!!!!
My official ranking of seasons: 2/3 as a tie, 6 (the emotional culmination of the show!!!!), 4 (some of the strongest episodes of the series but also some reaaaaaally poorly aged ones), 1, 5 (the less said about 5, the better). Feel free to argue with me in the comments.
got that last ivory Carrie dress
*rubbing palms together, snickering* MY TUBE TOP AGENDA IS WORKING