Carrie Bradshaw’s Most Iconic ‘Sex and the City’ Outfits: The Tutu, the Naked Dress and More

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Carrie Bradshaw’s Most Iconic ‘Sex and the City’ Outfits: The Tutu, the Naked Dress and More

Sex and the City fans love to say that New York City is the show’s fifth main character, and if that’s true, then fashion is the sixth. Legendary stylist Patricia Field served as the show’s costume designer, earning an Emmy for her work on the series in 2002. Sarah Jessica Parker, who played leading lady Carrie Bradshaw, recommended Field for the gig after they worked together on the 1995 film Miami Rhapsody. “She was a great model for me,” Field said of Parker during a March 2023 interview on the Today show. “No. 1, she got fashion. She loved clothes. She was very graceful because she was a trained ballet dancer. And she could fly through the air in a pair of high heels like it was nothing. We hit it off right away.” During their years working together on SATC, the duo crafted tons of iconic looks for Carrie, who famously loved fashion so much that she stored sweaters in her stove. In honor of the show’s Netflix debut, take a look back at Carrie’s most iconic looks:

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Carrie Bradshaw’s Most Iconic ‘Sex and the City’ Outfits: The Tutu, the Naked Dress and More

Sex and the City fans love to say that New York City is the show’s fifth main character, and if that’s true, then fashion is the sixth. Legendary stylist Patricia Field served as the show’s costume designer, earning an Emmy for her work on the series in 2002. Sarah Jessica Parker, who played leading lady Carrie Bradshaw, recommended Field for the gig after they worked together on the 1995 film Miami Rhapsody. “She was a great model for me,” Field said of Parker during a March 2023 interview on the Today show. “No. 1, she got fashion. She loved clothes. She was very graceful because she was a trained ballet dancer. And she could fly through the air in a pair of high heels like it was nothing. We hit it off right away.” During their years working together on SATC, the duo crafted tons of iconic looks for Carrie, who famously loved fashion so much that she stored sweaters in her stove. In honor of the show’s Netflix debut, take a look back at Carrie’s most iconic looks:

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The Opening Credits Tutu

Carrie was originally supposed to wear a Marc Jacobs dress in the now-iconic credits sequence, but Field decided to use a tutu instead after deciding the dress might date the show too quickly. She found the tutu, which later made a cameo appearance in the first SATC movie, in a $5 bargain bin in NYC’s Garment District. 

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The Naked Dress

This skimpy DKNY number actually appears in the credits as well, as Carrie wears it in the bus ad for her New York Star column. The ad photo shoot becomes a plotline in the sixth episode of season 1. After the session, Carrie gets to keep the dress — and then wears it on her first date with Mr. Big. In real life, Parker wore it to the 1997 VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards (pictured here). 

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The Fur Coat

Carrie rocked her vintage fur throughout seasons 1 and 2 of the series, most notably in the season 2 premiere when she and the gals went to a Yankees game. No one has ever made eating a hot dog look so cool. 

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The Peasant Girl

Why was Carrie wearing a dirndl to lunch with the girls in the park? Unclear, but Emily in Paris could never. 

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The Newspaper Dress

Carrie wore this Dior by John Galliano dress in season 3 after Big’s wife, Natasha, discovered her husband had been having an affair with Carrie. A similar version of the dress sold at auction in 2022 for more than $23,000. 

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The Giant Flower Lapel Pin

This look may not hold up now, but there was a time when Carrie’s predilection for enormous faux flower brooches infected a large segment of the population in the early aughts. See also: Carrie’s white vintage Caché dress from the opening scene of the first SATC movie. 

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The Lake Dress

Tumbling into a lake with your off-and-on boyfriend has never looked better than it did in the season 3 finale, when Carrie fell off a boat while wearing this blush pink Richard Tyler ensemble. 

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The Print-Mixing Queen

One of Carrie’s signature style hacks is mixing prints, as evidenced by this season 4 look where she paired a Marni starfish coat with a black-and-white Prada skirt. 

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The Mini Shorts

Wearing this Claude Pierlot one-piece — teamed with a trenchcoat and a newsboy cap — to a farmers market isn’t for the faint of heart, but Carrie was never one to shy away from a true fashion risk. SATC costume designer Eric Daman pointed out to InStyle that Carrie was “one of the first to openly embrace” rompers.

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The Brass Knuckles Prom Dress

Is it weird to pair a brass knuckles necklace with a vintage prom dress and an Hermès scarf worn on your head? Yes. Did Carrie Bradshaw make it look chic? Also yes. 

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Caught in the Rain

Carrie couldn’t get into the Guggenheim in this outfit (because it was closed), but her look — featuring a Chanel jacket, Nanette Lepore dress and Club Monaco sweater — was still a work of art.

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Bandanna Chic

While this look may not be one of Carrie’s best, it’s certainly one of the most Carrie, as it’s got two things she loves without question: a head scarf and a visible bra. 

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The Wedding Gone Wrong

Charlotte and Harry’s wedding was a beautiful event, and Carrie’s purple dress was gorgeous. If only she didn’t spend most of the ceremony fending off the advances of Cousin Howie, whose jackrabbit sex moves threw her back out. 

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Fashion Roadkill

Carrie was thrilled to land a modeling gig in season 4 … until she found out she had to wear bejeweled Dolce & Gabbana panties and little else. She fell down on the runway, but she still got a high-five from Heidi Klum afterward.

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The Poopy Pinstripes

Carrie revived her newsboy cap in season 4 with this vintage shorts suit while caring for Aidan’s dog, Pete, who was struck mid-walk with a bout of explosive diarrhea. If you have to clean up your boyfriend’s dog’s poop against your will, you may as well look stylish doing it. 

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The Bunny Tail

This Vivienne Westwood skirt with a bustle is one of the most divisive looks in SATC history, but Carrie pulled it off. It also wouldn’t be the last time Carrie wore Westwood — the late designer also created Carrie’s massive wedding dress from the first SATC movie. 

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The Midriff Belt

This outfit is pure chaos: a knotted T-shirt under a cropped button-down, paired with a belt worn around Carrie’s bare midriff. Even Field herself looks back on this one with regret, telling Repeller in 2018: “The show ran for six years and there were about 24 episodes a season, so that's a lot of outfits, but I only have one where I look at it and say, ‘Eh.’ She was wearing a skirt and a crop top, and I threw a belt around her naked waist. Even when I did it I was hesitant, but I think Sarah Jessica liked it, so I went ahead and kept it on. When I saw it later I thought it was just obnoxious. I should have slung the belt a little lower.”

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The Carriage Ride

These are the Louboutins that inspired Carrie to stare longingly into a window and say, “Hello, lover.” They got ruined when Miranda’s water broke on them, but at least Carrie got to take them for one spin around Central Park during a carriage ride with Mr. Big. 

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The Book Party

Carrie embraced the flapper look for the release party celebrating her first book. Field also made a cameo in this episode, having a cigarette at the bar during the soirée.  

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The 1st Date

Carrie’s short-lived romance with Alexsandr Petrovsky is best forgotten, but this fringe mini dress, which she wore on their first date in season 6, is worth remembering forever. 

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The Parisian

Carrie revamped her wardrobe for her (brief) move to Paris, and this black-and-white Sonia Rykiel ensemble made her look right at home in the City of Light. 

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The Parisian Pt. 2

Our girl continued her Paris era with this incredible polka dot dress, paired with a black overcoat and white pumps (which unfortunately fell victim to a pile of dog poo). 

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The Enormous Nap Dress

Carrie wore this voluminous Versace gown in Paris while waiting for Aleksandr to take her out. Field has called it her all-time favorite Carrie look, telling InStyle, “It took you out of reality.”

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Carrie, Rediscovered

After losing some of her agency in her romance with Alexsandr, Carrie found herself — and her nameplate necklace — again in this mint green gown. 

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The Finale

Carrie’s final look from the series finale incorporates some of her favorite aesthetics: print-mixing and a variety of textures and fabrics. It also revives her signature fur coat from the early seasons — and reveals that she does have a cell phone, which naturally is covered in pink rhinestones.