You, me, and Carrie Bradshaw’s Gramercy Park neighbors already know And Just Like That … recently started filming its third season. As soon as the show resumed production, images from the set immediately appeared online — posted by paparazzi, yes, but also by Sarah Jessica Parker and the show’s costume designers, who run an official Instagram account dedicated to the outfits. Already we have digested Carrie’s supersize gingham hat, Googled what lingerie she’s wearing under her sheer Simone Rocha gown, and discerned that her go-to accessory this season (the premiere date is still TBD) is a 600-page book about the Civil War. As delighted as I am to know the show is back, I’m worried these spoilers are taking all the fun out of the only good thing about the characters’ wardrobes.
Like it or not, the fashion on And Just Like That … depends on shock value. Unlike the original Sex and the City, for which costume designer Patricia Field could build an entire character study from a single look, the reboot’s creations aspire to evoke something far more visceral: a feeling that hovers between disbelief and cringe. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; call me optimistic, but I think over the past two seasons, designers Molly Rogers (who worked on the costume team for Sex and the City) and Danny Santiago (who came onboard for And Just Like That … season two) have found a pleasantly chaotic groove among the funky luxury bags and splashy gowns in these women’s closets. Which is why it’s disappointing to see all those getups — with no plot context, mind you — several months before the show airs on Max.
Seeing the outfits roll out during the series’ production schedule is like watching all the most chilling moments of a psychological thriller happen in the trailer. (Looking at you, Don’t Worry Darling.) It takes all the air out of the actual appearance of the ensemble in an episode, which now feels more like the creators are just checking a box instead of giving us a dramatic reveal. If the desired reaction to these looks is What the FUCK is she wearing? — and I believe it is — these more-than-sneak peeks downgrade the feeling to Oh, there it is by the time they make it onscreen. Imagine if that unsettlingly realistic JW Anderson pigeon purse resting next to Carrie’s Fendi ankle baguette in season two hadn’t been revealed during filming. The image of her lifting its little wing to retrieve a piece of gum while Charlotte argues with a luxury-consignment saleswoman — in a scene that aired nearly a year later — would have been earth-shattering!
And Just Like That … seems to thoroughly enjoy leaning into spoilers, fashion and otherwise. (So much of last season’s promotion material, including what Parker posted, consisted of heavy winking and nodding at the idea that Aidan and Carrie were reuniting — which we already knew from the highly publicized set photos.) I guess that makes sense for a show that films on-site in front of a horde of paparazzi: If everyone’s going to see what’s happening anyway, why not generate the buzz yourself and control the narrative? But some things are better left to the imagination, and all these outfit spoilers are hurting the show’s ability to genuinely blow us away with just how many different silhouettes it can layer onto one woman’s body. If the outfits are the plot twists, these Instagram posts need major spoiler alerts.
