Costume Designer Molly Rogers Picks Her 25 Favorite Sex and the City Looks—Vote for Yours!
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And just like that…it’s been 25 years of Sex and the City. The incredibly stylish television franchise premiered on HBO on June 6, 1998, eventually evolving into two feature-length films and the new reboot series And Just Like That (all of which are currently available to watch on Max).
Along for the ride beside Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha is costume designer Molly Rogers, who began by assisting the legendary Patricia Field on the show, and now serves as the main costumer for AJLT. “It’s rare for a show to have such a long shelf life,” Rogers says. “When I came back to do season one of And Just Like That, it felt like a summer camp. Even though we were doing uncharted territory, it felt like a reunion with the whole cast and crew.”
Rogers says it’s impossible to pick an all-time favorite style moment from the franchise—so, instead, we asked her to pick 25 highlights from the original series, the two subsequent films, and AJLT.
Back in the original series, when Rogers began assisting Field in the costume department, she remembers being in awe at how Field approached dressing the four leading ladies. “Because Pat Field was a downtown gal, she really had the DNA within herself as a city girl to establish these four women,” says Rogers. “They each had their own lane that they were in, and there was such a strong roadmap that has carried through over the years. Everybody was individually styled for where they were living or working in New York.”
Rogers remembers how dedicated she and Field were to finding the perfect pieces—whether that be designer or one-of-a-kind vintage. “In the beginning, we had very small budgets, so we experimented more,” says Rogers. “We would work all the time—we didn’t care, we wanted the show to look amazing.” Often, they turned to shops like the Ina consignment stores—it’s where they found that now-famous fur coat that Carrie wears—or the bargain haven Century 21. “We would run out of time during the week, so we would go to Century 21 on a Saturday on our day off, and we would stay all day. You didn’t want to miss anything at Century 21.”
For AJLT, Rogers has kept the fashion peacocking alive. Authenticity is a key word she’s kept in mind while dressing the modern-day characters. “I really wanted for things to feel organic,” says Rogers. “The challenge was to make everybody feel seamless—like we’re just picking it up later.” One way she’s successfully done this is by introducing pieces from older seasons back into the fray: Turns out, Sarah Jessica Parker kept many of Carrie’s iconic pieces in her own personal archive, which Rogers has pulled from. “It was fun to go through,” says Rogers. “You unzip the bag and you’re like, ‘Oh my god, I remember the day we bought that.’ It brings back memories.”
Of course, Rogers has introduced her own viral new fashion moments, too. Carrie’s JW Anderson pigeon clutch from the forthcoming season had all of fashion Twitter talking. It was actually a clever nod to the show’s New York spirit. “I had been looking for years for a purse that would represent New York,” says Rogers. “We had already represented Paris with the Eiffel Tower bag. I didn’t want to do an apple—I looked at apple bags for years. When I saw a friend with that pigeon clutch; it was a no-brainer.” The blue, bodycon Norma Kamali dress Carrie wears in AJLT was another fan-favorite. “The original bodycon dress that Carrie wore [in season two] is one of everyone’s favorite outfits,” says Rogers.
To keep the excitement around the franchise’s 25-year anniversary going, Rogers played a part in curating a special new pop-up experience that will be held from June 8–11 in New York City. Attendees can see special costumes from the show, and take photo ops in a recreation of Carrie’s iconic apartment. “It’s a nice walk down memory lane,” says Rogers of the exhibit. “It really represents 25 years of this amazing television experience.” As for what we can expect in the forthcoming second season of And Just Like That, when it premieres on June 22? More fabulous fashions—duh. “There are big moments of fashion in normal settings,” she teases. “We scored one of the best sweatshirts I’ve ever seen in my life; it’s a pop culture phenomenon. Carrie wears it.”
Below, Rogers chooses her 25 favorite Sex and the City looks of all time, in honor of the franchise’s 25th anniversary. Vote for your favorite—and be sure to check back next week to see which fashion moment comes out on top.
Photo: Getty Images1/25Carrie’s newspaper-print Dior dress
Hailing a cab in this show stopper! So New York City.
Is this your favorite look?
Photo: Courtesy of Everett Collection2/25Samantha’s power Mugler jacket
You notice Samantha as a bidder with her auction paddle [Especially with her] attention-seeking color and shape!
Is this your favorite look?
