‘And Just Like That’ Costume Designers on How John Corbett Chose That Belstaff Jacket Out of 100+ Options, and More Season 2 Looks
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Not every costume designer has a verified Instagram account with over 300,000 followers dedicated to showcasing their work — but “And Just Like That’s Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago do. The account @andjustlikethatcostumes features the designer outfits worn by Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and other main characters on Max’s original series.
With the finale of Season 2 airing on Aug. 24, it’s safe to say that the “Sex and the City” reboot has a dedicated following as fans look to those posts to recreate and even shop the trends.
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In an interview with Variety, Rogers and Santiago — who have both worked on “Sex and the City” in the past — broke down some of season two’s most memorable fashion moments.
In the winter episode, all of the blizzard looks were iconic. How did you style those?
Molly Rogers: We were waiting in the wings for a scene where we could do a massive puffy coat. We had wanted to do one Season 1 over the Valentino gown on the Paris bridge.
And then the bomb cyclone story was written — S.J. was all for it. It was a Moncler x Valentino coat that we were fortunate to get our hands on that. S.J. has this ability to walk in anything gracefully, and it worked out. We just thought the fans of the show would really enjoy the volume and the kiki of that. Where else could we have used that in the show?
What was the inspiration behind Aidan’s jacket during his reunion with Carrie? People had thoughts about it online.
Rogers: We had over 100 jackets in that room. One of us, or John Corbett, would eliminate a jacket due to the fabric, or if it didn’t fit him well, or it wasn’t season-appropriate. There were a lot of requirements. John felt very strongly about the choice of the Belstaff. I think it was a leading man vibe. It’s a romantic jacket. The only problem with it, in my opinion, is that he was too buttoned up. But those are sometimes actor choices and you’re on the set, you’re not the fashion police. But in the end, the actor has to feel good.
Lisa Todd-Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) rocks jaw-dropping looks, including in the the Met Gala episode when she crosses the street. Did you conceptualize those moments imagining what she would look like walking through the streets of New York?
Danny Santiago: Yes — we knew that she was going to have to cross the street. We had just gone to the Valentino couture show in Rome that summer, and we saw this headpiece come down the runway on the Spanish Steps. We saw the dress in a shorter version, but it was in a different color. So we reached out to Valentino and asked them if it would be possible to have that amazing red feather headpiece and the dress that we love so much. They added 12 feet of train onto the back and customized it.
Rogers: I think when you read a script, and it says “exterior, Park Avenue, New York City, Lisa walks to the Met Ball,” that’s a requirement. That’s an order to the costume department: You better step up your game.
Santiago: It became iconic the second she walked out.
What are your inspirations when it comes to Che’s (Sara Ramírez’s) style?
Santiago: Che almost has a uniform. If you look at Che’s outfits, even though there are different looks, a lot of it has very much the same type of silhouettes. The pants are always comfortable, they’re like joggers, and they’re always tailored nicely onto them. They usually put a T-shirt underneath on with a bomber jacket with the sleeves pushed up. There’s an ease to it, but it’s very put together and polished. They always have these amazing boots or sneakers, and great accessories.
Rogers: When Che was cast, I thought a lot about Karl Lagerfeld, who also had a uniform. Che needed to have a dark uniform on because there were so many layers to their personality. I would have hated if Che was a fashion victim, or trendy. It was better to go pure classic Americana: bomber, sweatpants and a T-shirt.
And how do you approach the kids’ styles on the show?
Rogers: [Alexa Swinton], the young lady that plays Rock, she comes in and says, “This gold chain is really a big thing in my school right now.” And we’re like, “Let’s wear it!” She’s really fun to interact with. Lily [Cathy Ang] was a spitting image of her mom, so she was getting preppy clothing. But now that she’s Lily Eilish, and she’s playing an instrument and going through her musical phase, we started looking around at that Marc Jacobs line, Heaven — kind of grungy.
Santiago: Yeah, a little grungy, a little more streetwear, but there’s also a little bit of a color palette that nods to the old Lily, but the whole silhouette has changed.
Each character has their own distinct style. How do you try to maintain or evolve them now that they’re in this new phase of their lives?
Santiago: I feel we haven’t really evolved them much. What the original show had put together for them, they had such a specific look and lane for each one of them. That’s something that we’ve tried to do with all the new characters as well, and define each person’s character and look. From 25 years ago to now, Charlotte’s still Charlotte — she’s still the uptown girl. Carrie is still the downtown girl, she’s whimsical, she’s always gonna have that in her look and in her vibe because that’s who she is as a person. We get asked, “How do they dress for their age?” I don’t think they dress that much differently. I think they’re still having fun with their wardrobe. They’re still having fun with fashion.
Rogers: I think the biggest metamorphosis is Miranda. She went from being a corporate lawyer and married to going back to school at Columbia. She’s kind of a nomad now — she’s sleeping at anybody’s apartment. Everyone goes through changes no matter what age you are. You will always be changing or you’ll be dead. But I think she did the most as far as reflecting the wardrobe. Miranda shows up in a suit at Carrie’s Gramercy Park apartment. I noticed online that everybody was saying, “She’s back. The old Miranda is back. This is how we want to see her, in a suit.” Well, she wasn’t going to wear them at Columbia. I think people sometimes want to see them as they were. I think that’s really interesting to notice. Keep them in a time capsule.
How intentional do you get when choosing specific outfits for the big moments or shifts in characters’ lives?
Rogers: When I’m in the fitting, I really do not read that deep into, “I am gonna subconsciously control the audience with this outfit” I just don’t do that. I find this show fun. And it’s not a documentary. I want it to be how Pat intended it, which is a heightened reality. I still want it to look like a fashion magazine. Maybe it’s not appropriate that someone is in a massive, puffy coat. But that is what is expected. And that’s what we want to deliver on this show.
You mention Pat — Patricia Field. You’ve both worked on the movies and the show. What’s it been like carrying on her legacy?
Rogers: It was wonderful to have that DNA, because I was on it since the beginning. I’m an old friend of Patricia’s. I worked with her for years and years. It was like going back to summer camp for me. And Danny had done the movies. It was familiar territory. So it was just about, “How do we translate this?” —because it’s a brand new age. It’s really not about the girls’ age, in my mind. It’s more about where the world is.
Do either of you feel pressure knowing so many people pay such close attention to the clothing on the show?
Santiago: People dissect every little thing and have something to say. Some people say positive things, some people say negative things. And I think if we were to listen to that, we’d make ourselves crazy. We don’t really pay attention to any of it. Molly and I, we get in the dressing room when we’re working with the girls, and it’s so collaborative with them. And we just want to have fun, we want to make beautiful fashion, we want to make beautiful moments on the camera, and really give something to people who have been watching the show for such a long time. That’s what makes us happy.
Rogers: I think we would know we were not accomplishing something if we didn’t have all this attention on the show. It is flattering.
Do you have looks from this season that you’re most proud of?
Santiago: The bomb cyclone is definitely on the list. Lisa walking [to the Met] — quite a moment. Carrie repurposed her wedding gown, quite a moment. The apartment scene with the three girls visiting her in Episode 9, it looks so beautiful in their outfits. That was a special moment with the wardrobe and how it looked in that space.
Rogers: Of course, Valentino red going across Park Avenue. But sometimes when I’m on set and Carrie’s there in a little slip-on glitter mule and a New York Times sweatshirt, I’m like, wow, that’s a knockout.
I wanted to ask about those little nods to New York.
Rogers: If we find a killer sweatshirt that we are all in love with that really represents the Big Apple, it’s going in. Sarah Jessica is all in for stuff like that — positive promotion of the greatest city on Earth. Her character’s DNA was always pro-New York. She has a High Line tote bag, so it’s reflected in many ways.
Can you say anything about what we can expect fashion-wise from the finale?
Rogers: There’s an Easter egg that I don’t think any — no, I’ll take that back. I think a lot of fans are going to find it, because they see everything. That’s No. 1. And No. 2, there is a piece from a runway that’s not in the stores yet that’s on Carrie that we got at the very last second and were able to put it in the show, and I think that’s exciting.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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