'And Just Like That...' Returns With Valentino Couture and Carrie's Vivienne Westwood Wedding Dress

Warning: spoilers for episodes one and two of 'And Just Like That...' season two below.

"And Just Like That..." is back for a second season on Thursday, but once again, paparazzi shots of the cast clad in conversation-starting fashion kicked off conspiracy theories long before the first two episodes would air on Max.

Returning costume designers (and "Sex and the City" alumni) Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago kept the hype going: As speculation mounted as to why Sarah Jessica Parker, as Carrie Bradshaw, was filming scenes with John Corbett, as her ex-fiancé Aidan, "International Best Dressed List" honoree Lisa Todd Wexley or "LTW" (Nicole Ari Parker) was crossing Park Avenue in a majestic red Valentino gown and headpiece, while Carrie was spotted re-wearing her still-stunning but ill-fated Vivienne Westwood wedding dress from the first "SATC" movie. Well, the premiere of the sophomore season answered a few of our fashion-fueled plot questions, if not all of the relationship ones.

Ahead, Rogers and Santiago spill the behind-the-scenes tea on Carrie's revamped bridal look, and drop some teasers for the remaining nine episodes — including the meaningful fashion behind that Aidan reunion.

The Straight-From-Paris Vintage

Last season, the costume designers mixed thrifted pieces with designer vintage ones, many from Santiago's own impressive archive. Gird your loins for even more sublime archival pieces this time around.

"We were lucky enough to talk somebody at HBO into letting us go to Paris for six days last summer, and we tore through vintage places," says Rogers, with a gleeful smile, over Zoom from New York City, as Santiago nods in his frame, from Miami. The duo scoured boutiques — like Thanx God I'm a VIP, Chez Sarah and Égérie Paris — plus private dealers and the new (Re)Store department at Galeries Lafayette.

"We hit it big time there," says Santiago. "We were able to find amazing things, treasures of things that you would definitely not be able to find here."

The two are most proud of "a very, very rare pair of Vivienne Westwood platform shoes," according to Santiago: The white statement heels, scored from Moji Farhat Vintage, complete a monochrome outfit (above) consisting of a wide-leg jumpsuit — upcycled from a 1980s Victorian-style wedding dress by Converted Closet's Kate McGuire — and flat straw boater hat for Carrie.

Another highlight is a Christian Lacroix bolero jacket, found by Santiago, "that SJ barely wears for a hot second at dinner," says Rogers.

"Lacroix was always known for the buttons, but these are very ornate buttons, with huge crystal flowers that are on the front of [the bolero] that are just beautiful," Santiago adds.

Carrie's 'Repurposed' Vivienne Westwood Wedding Gown

The season kicks off strong with a return to the cheeky "SATC" humor and tone. Carrie, LTW and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) are prepping for fashion prom, or "the Met Ball," as they prefer to call it. The "young, new designer" who's creating Carrie's "Veiled Beauty"-themed look almost comes through with a voluminous teal cape — but not the actual dress. So, Carrie solves her own wardrobe crisis and reclaims her grief narrative, repurposing the Vivienne Westwood gown she wore when Big left her at the altar in 2008.

"And just like that, I repurposed my pain," Carrie says, in her signature sign-off.

Rogers and Santiago brought the scripted sequence to the screen by first moodboarding a "Met-worthy" but ultimately disastrous white column gown, wrapped in ribbons creating a blue ombré effect. "That becomes the piece that's unwearable," per Santiago.

The ribbons establish the teal theme, which tracks back to the iconic bridal bird headpiece, which Carrie has kept stored in a box in her closet (top). Searching on The RealReal, Santiago found a striking teal ball gown, which he refashioned into a sculptural cape. The opera gloves were precisely dyed to match, "so everything looked almost like it was one piece," Santiago says. The team also embellished a pair of SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker slingbacks with diamanté crystals.

Santiago confirms that Carrie's feathered headpiece, now restyled with a dramatic white mesh veil, is indeed the original one from the movie: Then-costume assistant Paolo Nieddu found it at a vintage shop, and Patricia Field built Carrie's entire wedding look around it for the "SATC" movie.

LTW's and Charlotte's 'Valentino Haute Couture'

"Where's your hot designer, Pierpaolo? I want a selfie with him," asks Anthony (Mario Cantone), as he accompanies BFF Charlotte and LTW to their Met Ball fitting at the Valentino atelier.

Valentino did indeed custom-design LTW's flowing, red empire-waist gown. "Danny and I had gone to the couture show in Rome last summer, and we knew there was going to be a [Veiled Beauty-themed] Met Gala in episode one," says Rogers, who also plucked the red feathered headpiece from the Fall 2022 Haute Couture runway. ("Can you see in that thing?" asks LTW's husband, Herbert, played by Chris Jackson.)

Santiago and Rogers actually custom-designed Charlotte's Victoriana-meets-dominatrix couture to meet the storyline. In a surprise move, sartorially clueless Harry (Evan Handler) wants to accompany his wife to the gala. (Sorry, Anthony). Harry's interpretation of the theme features a top hat and tails, so the script called for Charlotte to be in "some kind of equestrian look," says Rogers.

Charlotte's diagonal wide-stripe skirt, with a bustle at the back, and Valentino-ish pink jacket reference late 19th-Century riding regalia, while the custom-made latex corset (which Charlotte's two kids struggle to lace her into) and gloves bring in a Betty Page pin-up element, mixed with some BDSM.

"[We wanted to] not making it so period costume-y, but a little bit more updated," says Santiago, who cast a wide net for inspiration, including an early-2000s John Galliano show with "an equestrian vibe."

Charlotte's accessories include a Stephen Jones felt hat, Amina Muaddi Yigit patent platform boots and a riding crop, ready for spanking.

"That's a real insider joke in our department, with [showrunner Michael Patrick King]," says Rogers, with a laugh. "He feels like we're always pitching him something S&M."

Carrie's Bergdorf Goodman Shoe Haul

In a relatable move, Carrie partakes in retail therapy in the name of professional and emotional avoidance — though, her Bergdorf Goodman shoe haul evokes more of a fashion fantasy: The costume team's shoppers pulled upwards of 50 shoes, according to Rogers, who presented the findings to Parker and King.

"We did a little show and tell," she says. "It was fun to say to them, 'Let's do a shoe in this scene that's outside Carrie's box or wheelhouse.'"

In her room, Carrie sits amidst plenty of peep-toe, sparkly and colorful stilettos from the likes of Saint Laurent, Valentino, Gianvito Rossi, Aquazurra and, of course, Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo. They mostly fit her established aesthetic, but at one point, she contemplates a playfully conceptual Loewe Balloon 100 sandal.

"I found that red balloon to be very artsy, like I've never seen anybody wear it," says Rogers. "I was calling it the 'Art Basel shoe,' because that's where I thought it would show up. It was just a little quirky thing that Carrie brought home, and it wasn't really her, but she wanted to see if she could style it or if she liked it."

Carrie's 'Classic Carrie' Reunion Florals

It's been a minute since Carrie ran into Aidan in Abu Dhabi in the 2010 big-screen sequel. Thanks to the season-two trailer (and the indefatigable paps), we know that the duo meets again — and Carrie is dressed in an appropriately sweet floral motif for the occasion.

"SJ loved that [dress]. The fabric is a really pretty color," says Rogers of the long-sleeve, tea-length and fit-and-flare number by Christian Siriano. "It was a reunion, and it was exploratory, so I thought she looked 'Classic Carrie' in floral — a little romantic, but not falling all over him. We wanted to be really careful about how he saw her for the first time."

The costume team's tailor accented the upholstery floral print with "tiny little black crystals," per Rogers, which do sparkle and glint against the street lights — and during close-ups of their initial conversation.

On her way to meet Aidan, Carrie bundles up in a vintage satin cape-coat with a hood, which Rogers customized with a bouquet of rosettes, inspired by a visit to the Thierry Mugler retrospective in Paris.

"There was a gown that Mugler did that had all these flowers at the crack of the ass," says Rogers, who tucked the flowers to bloom out of the hood at the back. "I felt that was such a beautiful way to put flowers [on the piece,] instead of on the lapel."

Aidan wears a belted Belstaff military jacket, which telegraphs a shield of sorts. Turns out, the styling was a note from Corbett (who is now Dr. Covey in the "To All the Boys"/"XO Kitty" multiverse to me) himself.

"That was a really big deal that night," says Rogers, who also notes the "freezing" temps during the shoot. "He wanted to wear the jacket buttoned-up and belted. Everybody was saying, 'Don't be so closed off,' but he won in the end."

Miranda's Bold New Looks

"New me! Best me ever!" says Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), in the season-two premiere.

Back to her signature fiery red hair, the lawyer-turned-student is traversing new paths, and she's expressing herself in more vibrant colors and bolder silhouettes, like a one-shoulder, body-con, jewel-toned dress by Halston and deep-plunge, halter maxis by Silvia Tcherassi (above) and Diane von Furstenberg.

"[Miranda's] fittings got to be as long as Carrie's," says Rogers. "She's kind of all over the place and is trying to figure her life out. We had lots of choices in the room and would reach for things that showed an excitement — or a bewilderment."

Plaids For All

In the premiere, Carrie answers podcast listener questions while wearing an archival Vivienne Westwood Prince of Wales check blazer and vintage checked flannel pants with suspenders. Setting her arc for the season, she also establishes a pattern (pun intended) that plays out for the rest of the series: plaids.

By episode seven, Carrie's clad in an explosion of checks — a purple (and repeated) wool coat from the Westwood archives, a vintage raw-edged maxi-kilt by Laird-Portch, an argyle print cardigan by Molly Goddard (above). But it's not just her: In the same ep, Miranda explores new territory in a trompe l'oeil coat of variegated checks and a multi-color, plaid-paneled scarf, both by Cotélac; her friend and law professor Nya (Karen Pittman) bundles up in a blue Canada Goose x Reformation puffer covered in squares; Charlotte's teens, Lily (Cathy Ang) and Rock (Alexa Swinton), also mix grunge-y plaids into their wardrobes, as Zoomers are wont to do.

Rogers and Santiago put a halt on my citizen-detecting for hidden sartorial symbolism: They just happened to be drawn to the geometric patterns as they were shopping.

"It was more organic than anything," says Santiago, also explaining that each character wore checks in their own distinctive and personality-specific ways. Carrie — who's always had a penchant for mixing prints — boasts the most layers and combinations.

"With Lily, it's a little a little bit more of a Y2K vibe," explains Santiago. "SJ's is very Vivienne Westwood-mixed plaids, and Miranda is a little bit more classic in the way she wears her plaid."

"Charlotte's a Burberry," says Rogers, pointing to the Upper East Sider's earmuffs for a snow day, and vintage tartan cape and plaid Dior skirt for school pickup (above). "It's a whole subconscious theme. I want somebody to do a madras ball gown."

Putting that out there for a season three...

Never miss the latest fashion industry news. Sign up for the Fashionista daily newsletter.