‘And Just Like That’ Costume Designers Talk Belts and Backlash
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While fans and foes of “And Just Like That” continue to shower praise or hurl critiques, costume designers Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago have turned their attention to a new collaborative belt collection. Accessories, after all, can be armor or adornment, and the duo is adept at maximizing their use.
First friendly socially and then connected professionally, the two shared an easy rapport in a recent interview discussing their new venture, how they stay clear of social media backlash, why “Sex and the City” gets people so riled up and the allegations against Chris Noth.
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Working with the Los Angeles-based belt company Streets Ahead, they are debuting a dozen belts today online. “Our use of belts is something that we are very devoted to, if not obsessed with. At a fitting, we have a full rack of belts by color. It’s just a go-to for so many women characters,” Rogers said. “It kind of pulls everything together like having a bow on a Christmas package. And everybody wants a waist.”
The Roger belt, a black style with grommets that Sarah Jessica Parker wore in the 2008 “Sex and the City” movie, generated a lot of consumer attention and “helped to send the message that they were belt nuts,” Rogers said. (Parker sported it again in the HBO Max reboot of the series.) “It just works so well with so many different things and was something that SJ fell in love with. It kind of has a punk rock edge to it,” Santiago said. “In the fittings for the movie, we kept going back to it over and over again. We had a saying for it. SJ would say, ‘Roger that.’”
Fans apparently agreed. They “went crazy for it and all these different companies knocked it off,” Santiago said. The new collaborative line, which is labeled “Out on the Town, Up or Down,” will set consumers back between $69 and $395. It is also being wholesaled.
Agreeing their “And Just Like That” assignment could be seen as unenviable given people’s fervor about the show and the characters, Rogers said with a laugh, “It’s almost like ‘How dare you?’…if we had let the provenance of the show and the rabid fandom get to us, we would have been crippled.”
One safeguard came from a beautified bubble they created on the set. Instead of the standard “tiny closet with a stand-up mirror,” they created a gem of a fitting room with a full-length Hollywood-style vanity mirror that “provided an environment to be free, to not judge and be uncensored,” Rogers said. “And we didn’t pay attention to what was happening on social media. As much as we could, we kept blinders on, because it’s brutal.”
She added that a “And Just Like That” costume account on Instagram constantly has posts from people with scathing reviews about scripts or characters they don’t like. “It’s very negative. Thank God we had these beautiful belts to keep us sane.”
Having scoured stores for belts for the reboot, they often mined them from vintage stores, which had the greatest variety and interesting styles. When Streets Ahead approached them, Santiago said they were game in part because belts bring a look together. “I kind of look at belts as waist bracelets,” Rogers offered.
Courtesy Photo
The fact that Streets Ahead is a family-run business and a Made in USA operation was a double win, they said. The costume designers aim to do more collaboration, including nonapparel ones. Home is a possibility, as evidenced by the tufted pillow they embellished with embroidered appliqués for Parker’s apartment in “And Just Like That.” “We love home stuff. It’s a natural bookend or partner with costume [design],” Rogers said.
As for recent reports that actress Cynthia Nixon can be demanding or specific about what she wants in terms of fashion, Rogers said, “A lot of really seasoned actors and actresses have been in the business for so long they have a shorthand…to say, ‘Oh, that’s not going to work,’ because you’ve just been in enough fittings to know. For us, everybody was so excited about being back that it was like the best possible high school reunion. Everybody was just ready to get at it.”
More recently, the cast and crew faced a more serious matter. Last month, Chris Noth, who plays “Mr. Big,” was accused of sexual assault and sexual misconduct by four women. After the first two women made their allegations, the actor issued a statement describing the accusations as “categorically false.” Variety reported this week Noth has been cut from the upcoming “And Just Like That” finale.
Courtesy Photo
Santiago declined to comment about the allegations. Rogers said, “The only thing I feel comfortable saying without getting hung out to dry is [that] it really saddens me to hear news like that. I was very sad about that.”
As for whether allegations had ever been an issue on the set, Rogers said never and Santiago said no.
Rogers continued, “Just like Willie [Garson, who played Stanford Blatch] passing on, that was a lot to handle and process. That was a loss as well. We had just had a massive fitting with Willie. We had done every outfit that he would ever need for 10 episodes. He was totally in the can with all his clothes. It was just really painful.”
Shifting back to fashion, the costume designers spoke about what gets consumers to shop. For Rogers, that means buying green, vintage and recycled items. “People are really into feeling good about their purchases.”
And buying small and local, as in supporting local businesses and Made in USA brands, are important, Santiago said. “Small businesses like Streets Ahead is a mom-and-pop business. The whole family is involved. These are the types of businesses that people want to support right now.”
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