“And Just Like That” is back for Season 2, bringing more of the gorgeous fashion fans have come to expect from its stylish cast of characters.
The power behind the maximalist wardrobe of the Max show? Original “Sex and the City” costume designer Patricia Field’s guardians, Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago, will be returning soon this season to dress up Kim Cattrall for her highly anticipated cameo.
But Field and Cattrall aren’t the only franchise fixtures to return in a big way; Century 21, one of Carrie Bradshaw’s hottest fashion venues, finally reopened its downtown flagship last month and appropriately tapped Rogers and Santiago to create a collection of looks inspired by the show’s key players to celebrate the occasion.
“I feel like I’ve spent half my life with Pat in this store,” Rogers tells Page Six Style, comparing the shopping experience at Century 21 to a “treasure hunt.”
“You’ll find something no one else has,” said Santiago, pointing to the “Sex and the City” era composition—a vibrant green Vivienne Westwood miniskirt. Carrie’s Wearing In Season 4 – as the best example.
And new episodes of “And Just Like That” are sprinkled with one-of-a-kind fashion breakthroughs. Below, Rogers and Santiago share the stories behind a few of their favourites.
santiago: “It was written in the script that this is what she would eventually wear. [to the Met Gala], so we knew we had to get it. We didn’t know if he still existed and we didn’t know what his condition would be. So Molly reached out to Vivienne Westwood because it’s been so many years.”
Understood. “I didn’t lie down – I had to handle because they kept stalling. I guess they had to fix it.
santiago: “But it turned out and was in good shape and [Parker] fit right in! He needed almost nothing.”
Understood. “You wanted to transform it so it wouldn’t be exactly the same dress, but everyone should know it.”
santiago: “I wanted to take off the bottom—because it’s two-layered—and make it really short. And at one point, we talked about having a boot underneath, like a knee-high boot, with stones all over it. We were playing with ideas, [because] We wanted it to be something she could combine with a wedding dress.”
santiago: “This cape was actually a ball gown, something I bought at The Real Real. The color is beautiful, the fabric is great too. So we took off the bodice and used the whole skirt to make it. Then we dyed the gloves to match it. The color was exactly the same as the bird. [headpiece]so I think he would be inspired by color and shape and think he could combine the two and make it Met worthy.
“This original bird – very fragile, over 100 years old. It’s from New York Vintage and it has safes.”
Understood. “When the movie ‘Sex and the City’ came out, there was a Saudi princess who wanted to buy it for $250,000, but Shannon [Hoey, co-founder of New York Vintage] he said no. I love that it’s something borrowed and something blue. And they wrote dialogue for it!”
Charlotte’s equestrian community meets S&M
Understood. “There’s a lot of squeaking on the internet [about her latex Met Gala look]. They don’t have it, it’s a shame! I love it in latex.
santiago: “We didn’t want to make the era so traditional; We wanted to do something a little more modern. We were thinking about Bettie Page, giving her a bit of a fetish, ’50s [flair]. She has a great hourglass silhouette to dress up, so we zipped her up in this shiny latex, gave her a latex glove and matching patent boots. There was even a little riding whip!”
Understood. “I have a nice video of him spanking MPK. [showrunner Michael Patrick King]”
Lisa’s Valentino design that stops traffic
santiago: “Molly and I were invited to the couture show by Valentino and she wore a beautiful black and white dress with a white caged cap. [But] we thought red would be a great color in LTW [Lisa Todd Wexley, played by Nicole Ari Parker]; It is a very strong, bold color and uses colors very well. So Molly asked if they would remake it for the Met scene.
“Because [scene] crossing the street, we thought we’d make a long train. That train was about 10 or 12 feet long — quite a few LONG. This was something we requested without knowing if they would do it. But as great as the Italians are, they bring it together! And the hood is actually very, very light.
Understood. “Still a little disturbing.”
santiago: “There’s a lot of balancing you have to do once you put it on.”
Understood. “A bird always ends up somewhere – in its head [or otherwise]. Being in the living room and saying, ‘What will this bird go with?’ I mean it’s really fun. And [Parker] he killed the scene – he worked IT. Putting it on his head, pulling a piece of gum out of it… that wasn’t written!”
For more Bottom Styles…
Carrie’s hat that caused a fight on set
Understood. “If you’ve watched the documentary, you know we’ve been fighting tooth and nail to use it. [in Season 1]. [Parker] fell in love with it because it was absolutely in ruins. Discussion closed the set; Everyone fled, died of fright. He was devoted to it. But hats are deceiving and lighting [people] and directors hate them.
“[King] I didn’t know we’d show up again [for Season 2]. But when he saw her and us, he said, ‘Revenge is sweet’.”
Carrie’s New York Times sweatshirt
Understood. “There’s a honey hole in here with the coolest sweatshirts we know, and I won’t tell anyone where it is. It was actually in something more slip-on until I walked into the room. There’s already a lot of people searching for it online. The New York Times should pump them!”
Carrie’s shoe shopping spree
santiago: “There were easily 40 pairs of shoes when we looked, and I think we’ve cut that down to 30 or 25 for the actual scene. We wanted sparkle, we wanted leather, we wanted color, we wanted variety. Molly found a wildcard – this Loewe shoe with a large sculptural plastic balloon on top.”
Understood. “I thought I was going to get slapped. A shoe that isn’t Carrie.”
santiago: “It’s a beautiful, sculptural, wonderful art object. But we didn’t know how he would react to it.”
Understood. “I’m glad you made it because Sarah Jessica is so good at props.”