Sex and the City: The Gossip, the Glamour, the Truth!
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THE CLOTHES
Darren Star: At my first sit-down with Pat [Field, the costume designer], she brought this 1950s S&M book that had women in it with men on leashes. That was the initial pitch.
Sarah Jessica Parker: We asked Pat to do the wardrobe not just because she's outrageous and bold, but because she really is a storyteller with clothes. At first, no one let us borrow a thing. We were unknown, kind of renegade. The dam broke when Fendi loaned Carrie a baguette. Once they saw their sales change, design houses knew it was the right place for them.
Willie Garson: I had one fight with Pat Field, and it was about a pink V-neck sweater. I remember saying, "This is, like, the gayest sweater I have ever seen." But she was right. Because Pat Field is making a painting. She knows what color the chairs are, what colors the walls are, what everyone else in the room is wearing.
Patricia Field: It starts with a script. I read it, absorb, see what the characters do. I would never say, "This just came out from Chanel, you've gotta wear it."
Sarah Jessica Parker: Carrie's hits were big, and Carrie's misses were big. And that's exactly how it should be. She just loved fashion, and she would try anything.
Kristin Davis: Pat and I went to Barneys one time, and nothing fit. I just whined, "I can't wear these clothes!" She's like, "Yes you can! You just have to find the right thing." She kept saying, "Sexy secretary, sexy secretary."
Patricia Field: I would say to Kristin, "Let me work your hourglass shape! It's hot!" It was hard for her to see herself like that. Samantha was bold and honest. I interpreted that in bright colors, powerful shapes, and big pieces of jewelry as armor.
THE TAKEAWAY
Sarah Jessica Parker: I don't think I really understood the impact until the final episode aired. I was watching CNN and the ticker said, "Carrie Bradshaw and Big are back together." When you're on CNN, that assumes that everybody in the world knows what you're talking about.
Kim Cattrall: I was at the fish counter at a store in East Hampton, and this man came up and said, "I really have to thank you. There's no way I could really talk about sex with my daughter, and your show has helped me through it." I said, "I guess you're welcome?" I'd never thought of the show as an educational tool.
Jason Lewis: I knew that the show was a big deal when I was on the border of India and Pakistan and somebody recognized me. I was like, Are you kidding me?
Kim Cattrall: I think the show redefined what being single is about, which had a negative connotation of not being wanted or attractive or sexy enough or good enough. This was, I'm single because I choose to be single. I'm not looking for Mr. Right. I might be, in Samantha's case, looking for Mr. Right Now, and what's wrong with that? Men do it all the time.
Willie Garson: I think people mistake why they love the show so much. Whether people think they're watching for the fashions or the pretty girls or the locations or the jokes, the real reason is the show is about love: searching for love, finding love, holding on to love, losing love, holding on to the people who love you the most.
Chris Albrecht: Now they're all trying to do the next Sex and the City, which means that there hasn't been one. It's a silly way to develop shows. It was the right material in the right hands at the right time.
Cindy Chupack: I have to say, we were unaware of our power, but I hope we used it for good.
