Patricia Field Predicts the SATC Sequel's Biggest New Trends

Plus, find out where you can get Carrie Bradshaw's Halston dress for less!

Sex and the City Screenshot
(Image credit: Courtesy of New Line Cinema)

The new Sex and the City movie has fashion-forward fans across the globe already anticipating the sequel's hottest new looks.

The woman behind it all? Patricia Field, the costume designer who has been styling Sarah Jessica Parker and her three best friends for more than a decade.

Although she tells Marie Claire that she prefers to see her creations beyond the next big trend — "I'm not about favorites," she says, adding that it's all about "composition and storytelling" — she does share the top contenders.

Photo Gallery: See photos from our Sex and the City cover shoot.

1. Diaphanous Fabrics

Because much of the film is set in Abu Dhabi, Field says she was able to bring some of her cultural roots -- she's Greek and Armenian -- to life on screen. "Long, flowing things look beautiful," she says of a breezy style she employed on all the stars. "The mood and movement of the diaphanous on the desert landscape provides this compatibility with the Middle East style."

2. The White Halston Dress

Even in dressing the cast for New York City scenes, she opted for "chic simplicity" as opposed to the highly created cuts of late. "We used a lot of Halston on Carrie because I was feeling tired of those extreme shapes that make a lampshade out of a woman," she says. The $325 Halston Heritage creation Carrie wore in some of the first filmed scenes is already circulating the racks across the nation (Wal-Mart has a $15 version!).

3. Headwraps

In the last movie, Field was discouraged and oftentimes even forbidden from using hats — they cast unflattering shadows and created lighting issues — but this time, she was given free reign to put the women in an assortment of brightly colored hats and headwraps. "I used a lot of glamorous headwear," she says. "I went berserk!"

4. Clover Leaf Charms

In a few scenes, Carrie Bradshaw — who had more than 60 costume changes in the movie — wears "a beautiful clover leaf necklace," Field says. The lucky symbol, she tells Marie Claire, could create as much of a frenzy as Carrie's gold monogram necklace from the very first seasons of the show.

Whether any of these will turn into the next Sex and the City statement piece (think, Manolo Mary Janes and circle-studded belt), Field is uncertain. But, she did catch a sneak peek at the film and was astounded.

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"The script was so rich and in a completely different style," she says. "The clothes came across in a totally entertaining, enjoyable, even comedic way."