Issue 1: In Defence Of And Just Like That (And Its Baggage)
HANDBAGS AT DAWN // In celebration of the show's series finale, I wish to express my emotions around Carrie & co – including their purse choices.
There’s a few people I often dream about being friends with. Florence Welch is a pretty regular occurrence. Oprah likes to visit me in my dreams, too. So do the Haim sisters, who I did actually meet twice – and yes, I will gladly brag about it. Another really common one is Carrie Bradshaw. No, not Sarah Jessica Parker, but Carrie Bradshaw, the sex columnist herself. You could easily trace this back to my early teens when I spent endless nights watching episodes of Sex and The City on mute, protecting my parents from the loud moaning signs Samantha was letting out while getting shagged by one (or many) of her suitors. It was one of my earliest signs of TV rebellion and – based on how much those six series and two films inspired me – it was totally worth it. And yes, I’m aware I’m just another fag trying to claim Carrie as their god, guide and guru. But just like I don’t judge your religion and its truths which might seem a bit abstract at times, please don’t judge mine either.
Carrie was the person that made me think being a writer is quite a fabulous job. Carrie was the person who made me realise that you can dress like a neurotic geriatric and still have people who want to fuck you. And if they don’t – it’s on them! Though I grow up in a family of smokers, Carrie was the person who made me think smoking is kinda sexy. Her way of lighting a cigarette – holding it with her teeth while frowning at the lighter – is something I still try to replicate every time I bum a cigarette off someone at a party. And no, none of these things are objectively good (seriously, smoking is terrible), but they became part of my personality during those formative years. Out of the four girls, I am a total Carrie – self-obsessed, sometimes a shit friend, sarcastic, rude, a hoarder… But I’m also proud to be a Carrie. In the context of style, she completely changed the way I consider bag-carrying codes. She showed me that a clutch can be a totally acceptable daytime option. In those recurring dreams of mine, Carrie often appears wearing the totally unhinged outfit of a green patterned skirt and a belt cinched around her bare toned belly, with a white crochet clutch in hand.
I often see bags on eBay which, in my mind, look like something Carrie had worn/would wear, which means I also have to own them. One that comes to mind is a beaded tourist bag, similar to the style she wore in the second film when she stumbled upon Aidan while shopping in the souk dressed in a trailing ballgown skirt. Eurgh, that film was so entertaining and I’ll fight you over it. I am still dreaming of owning a swan-shaped Judith Leiber crystal clutch, even if Carrie almost dumped Big over gifting her one. See, that’s the thing: though I sometimes disagree with Carrie, I can still appreciate the education she continually offered.
So you can imagine the emotional journey I was sent on with the announcement of And Just Like That, adding my shrieks to the global choir of fags and now-middle-aged women who grew with the foursome. To be controversial yet brave, I wasn’t too fussed about Samantha not being part of the reboot. Perhaps this was because she was never my favourite. However, the whole drama between SJP and Kim Cattrall felt way too real and raw. As someone with parents who have been together for over 30 years, I can only imagine this is what it feels to experience divorce as a child. That situation aside, I was ecstatic about the prospect of experiencing Carrie’s new adventures as a grown-up with my own stories. Would I find them just as exciting? Would I totally find the whole thing boring and turn into a straight man? Probably (most definitely) not. I knew that And Just Like That had to be really bad for me to dislike it. Like really really bad. Emily in Paris levels of bad.
*Light spoilers from the first series of ‘And Just Like That’ will follow so please consider watching the show before continuing.*
First episode day. I’m beyond excited. My boyfriend and I got the NOW TV subscription which includes HBO programmes just a few weeks prior, which made the whole watching experience way easier than those nights on mute. 10-minutes into the show and I’m happy and terrified at the same time. Conversations around wokeness, social media chats and the awkward handling of Samantha’s absence. It all feels a bit random, yet weirdly familiar. But the fact that Carrie is wearing a feather fascinator and layering two cross-body bags while sitting down for lunch… I was ready to look past a lot of the nonsense because of that look alone. It’s exactly what I did during the original series, too. At the time, I was a teenager who couldn’t really understand what these women were going through. I didn’t always get the jokes or agree with the stale takes on current affairs (Carrie’s denial of bisexuality still hurts). But the charm of these imperfect characters overrode the bullshit they were saying in the moment. Don’t we all talk bullshit sometimes anyway? By the end of episode 1, I walked myself off the ledge and into my usual position of being ready to fight anyone who was hating on my girls.
They were exactly how I imagined a group of privileged white women in their 50s from NYC trying to deal with the evolving pace of the world. They were a bit random, erratic, uncomfortable… I believe the show’s creator Michael Patrick King successfully painted a picture of characters who haven’t grown much beyond their limits. Carrie was still a bit of a shit friend who didn’t instantly recognise the importance of helping a friend dealing with addiction. Miranda was trying SO hard to be politically correct but continually failed masterfully. Charlotte was… a conservative Upper East Sider who couldn’t grasp her child’s gender identity. The addition of new characters – Lisa, Dr. Nya, Che Diaz, Seema – was a not-so-smooth-yet-very-welcomed shift to diversify the cast. They all brought their individual challenges and added them into the group dynamic which feels exciting, if a bit clumsy at times. But friendships are clumsy. There is often awkwardness in the way people from different groups come together. The most talked about episode was also my favourite – episode 5, as written by a genius author and fellow newsletter-er Samantha Irby. But it wasn’t my favourite because Miranda and Che shagged while a recovering Carrie weed herself in bed, though it was a highly watchable part. I loved it because it reflected the humour of Sex and the City in a new and fresh way – topics of ageing, sex, getting high, Carrie’s ridiculous fashions aka that fluffy straw hat which definitely had a whiff of cultural appropriation to it… It was entertaining in its imperfections and silliness, while adapting to its new surroundings.
In celebration of the show’s series finale which is screening today, I wanted to revisit some of my favourite baggage worn by each of the key characters. Huge kudos to costume designers Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago who took the baton from the OG stylist Patricia Field and elevated the looks without being forced (hello Emily In Paris). I’m a firm believer costume design should be a seamless tool in telling the story. But in case you were wondering, Field was a total shady lady about the looks on And Just Like That, particularly labelling Cynthia Nixon as someone difficult to work with.
Carrie
Though there were numerous contenders for Carrie’s best, the 1920s-style beaded bag with long fringe she wore to the school benefit (ep 7) was an absolute showstopper. I feel like it was was also a nod to the super-long fringe bag she carried to the premiere of Smith Jerrod’s play in Brooklyn, just before the fight with Berger over being too successful (lol). A close runner-up was the little illustrated cloth pouch she carried when she went to get her hip surgery in a pair of Birkies. And if I had to pick my favourite Carrie look overall, it would have to be the ‘smoking around the block in rubber gloves and two headscarves’ gingham fantasy (see top image). Keepin’ it kooky.
Miranda
I mean… Can we even talk about anything else but that ugly brown backpack? See, the thing is – Miranda wore arguably the chicest handbags throughout the series. I counted a total of three different Loewe pieces, which really added to the style evolution of her character. But this is Miranda – the person who sets trends such as wearing a bucket hat over your hood. So she had to bring out something ugly that stole every scene it was in. She wore it with heels and tote bags. She wore it to class. She hid booze in it. Based on its contribution to the story, I think this brown backpack is deserving of a main cast credit. In case you were on the market for one gigantic brown backpack… Well, unfortunately, it’s sold out, but you can join the waiting list. Please don’t.
Charlotte
Honestly, Charlotte’s bag choices are a bit shit. But they’ve almost always been a bit shit and I’m okay with that. Her narrative might have grown over the series but her style was painfully rich white lady-ish – Louis Vuitton Capucines bags in several blah colourways, a pink Chanel with a pearl strap, a black Lady Dior… It was cute to see the white Fendi plastic basket in action, but it could barely hold its own against the rest of the group. A moment that did make me sit up was the vision of Charlotte in a blue polkadot Balenciaga skirt, with a cute colourful hard bag in hand. Upon some snooping around, I discovered it’s by RIANNA + NINA who make cute one-of-a-kind pieces from vintage materials. So precious, just like our girl Char.
Seema
Possibly my favourite of all the new characters. No, she definitely is. Seema feels like a chicer update on Samantha, who also gives more depth to her single life. All of her outfits were utterly fabulous, especially when paired up with a fag and the perfectly blown-out hair. My absolute top pick, though, has to be the Lanvin Pencil Cat bag with a sculptural handle she wore in episode 7. The sleek and elegant figure of the cat embodies everything Seema is about. And if this show ever gets cancelled, I will demand a Seema spin-off.
Lisa
She’s a bit of a tough one for me, honestly. I love some of the things she stands for, but I feel like so much is still left unsaid. It probably doesn’t help that, from a wardrobe point-of-view, she dresses like an influencer whose exuberant style overcompensates a lack of personality. And though she had some cute purses, I will have to pick the Moschino safari twinset which isn’t technically a bag but was essentially used as one. I mean, coming to a charity event to paint a house with a hairbrush attached to your arm… Even Carrie wouldn’t dare, so I have to commend Lisa.
Dr. Nya
This woman has a talent for making sportswear look hyper-stylish. She made me want to wear tracksuits, and I really hate tracksuits. And though she isn’t the first on the show to try, she was definitely the first to pull off a canvas tote bag in a way that feels purposeful. In episode two, her white tote spelled out ‘Don't Touch my Stuff Or My Face Or My Hair’ in a really poignant scene where Miranda is putting her best white saviour armour on. You can buy the tote, as designed by British artist David Shrigley, without going on any waiting list.
Che Diaz
They’re too busy cracking jokes and smashing the ‘WOKE’ button to be carrying a bag.
*PEEK OF THE WEEK*
As I announced in issue zero, each newsletter will show a glimpse of the inside of someone’s bag. The people I’ve asked to take part are individuals whose creativity, spirit and style I personally admire and find inspiring. This week’s guest is Nassia Matsa (@nassia_), a multi-hyphenate whose accolades include being a stunning model and hosting some of the funnest house parties I’ve ever been to. She sent in a photo of what the interior of her red Kiko Kostadinov Trivia bag looks like:
What does the inside of your bag say about you?
Nassia: “I think it says that I am a minimalist who appreciates small luxuries on the go – whether it’s a Dior lip balm, listening to music or munching.”
Loved reading this. It felt like slipping back into a conversation we could've had back in high-school. Keep it up :)
Great article and so funny :)))