A comparison of the wardrobes of these shows, what makes them similar and different, and why I can relate more to the wardrobe used in Sex in The City than the one in Gossip Girl.
Now if you know me, you know how much I love both Sex in The City and Gossip Girl. Both shows had a fantastic wardrobe department. Sex in The City and Gossip Girl have both provided style inspiration for millions of viewers out there. I believe this is because both TV shows are timeless, as well as the majority of the looks seen in them.
Sex in The City and Gossip Girl are both time capsules. They showed what it was like to live in New York City in the late 90s and early 2000s. A world of flip phones and drama was all any girl seemed to want to live a simpler life. As well as the character’s designer wardrobes. People obsessed over the looks worn by the characters in both shows. So much so, it affected the fashion industry then and now. Looking back, most of the pieces worn in these shows are still being worn by women today. Think about that tulle moment on Carrie from the intro of the show. Talk about iconic. Tulle was then incorporated into hundreds of designer collections after 1998. And when I think about a particular outfit that has inspired fashion still today, I think about the schoolgirl outfit. I mean, Blair and Serena invented making a school uniform into a fashion statement. Even today, a business casual look filled with blazers and pencil skirts is a popular preppy look. While both obviously had a strong effect on the fashion industry, one show’s wardrobe stood out to me as more of a fashion mecca for reasons other than popularity.
I was more in the Gossip Girl age, so I always grew up wanting to be Blair Waldorf or Serena Van Der Woodsen. Their wardrobes were those of my dreams. The glittery dresses. The ballgowns. Even their casual wear was top-tier styling. While this is what I wanted to have, I knew it was close to unreachable. Let’s be realistic. Who wears a designer sundress just to walk around a penthouse all day? No one! Who owns a luxury lingerie and sleepwear collection at the ripe age of 17, without a job? No one!
On the other hand, recreating outfits from Sex in The City seems doable to me. When I think about Sex in The City, I don’t think about star-studded socialites. I think about Carrie writing this sex column in her studio apartment, wearing jeans and a tank. Seriously, if you think about how many super glamorous looks were really in Sex in the City (the TV show at least), you can’t count but a handful. The sustainability of the character’s wardrobes is what drew me into the fashionable influence of the show as I grew up. The character’s wardrobes reflected a lot about the show, and how the producers wanted it to come across. Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha are all very relatable characters with a wardrobe that reflects who they are as individuals without using the use of a designer collection to do so.
In comparison to Gossip Girl, Sex in The City dresses its characters in a very realistic wardrobe. Yes, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha all have their fair share of stunning outfits, but nothing as unrealistic as the looks worn in Gossip Girl. I mean, it seemed like Blair, Serena, and the whole clan had a gala or dazzling event every 2-3 episodes. The producers had a designer wardrobe for Blair and Serena’s every move. Even if it meant walking down the block to meet her bestie for a croissant, you could guarantee that Blair or Serena would be wearing stilettos and a dress more expensive than most people’s rent in New York. Never mind special events, because that is just everyday wear for the Gossip Girl characters. While most people would love to have a wardrobe like Blair and Serena, you must remember that at the end of the day, these are New York socialites. Gossip Girl creates this fashion fantasy that doesn’t apply to the majority of people, which is why I appreciate pulling more fashion inspiration from Sex in The City. The looks are more sustainable, and isn’t that what the fashion industry is all about? This is why I tend to lean more into looks from Sex in The City than from Gossip Girl.
