How Sex and The City icon, Carrie Bradshaw, is influencing the culture

When I drove into New York City, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was walking into Carrie Bradshaw’s closet. My fashion eye can easily spot a reference, and the it girls of New York have clearly been inspired. Since moving here, I’ve seen that classic 90s fashion come back to life. Kitten heels, interesting patterns, unique silhouettes. Carrie Bradshaw isn’t just chic and fashionable; she’s brilliant, and her influence is undeniable.

I believe it was Netflix’s adding of the show back in 2024 that sparked the trend for gen z. It then made its way to tiktok, with iconic Carrie one liners with a modern song in the background. The show was about coming to terms with age, finding love, and friendship. It was so effortlessly beautiful. Does Gen Z yearn for a time without social media? Without finding love through a screen? Sex and The City came out at a time where life could be considered “just perfect.”

She wore tutu skirts with tank tops, mixed vintage with designer, and made an outfit feel like an extension of her personality. That kind of freedom is exactly what fashion geeks my age are craving. We’re less interested in looking “perfect” and more obsessed with looking unique. Of course, the difference now is that style lives online as much as it does on the street. Carrie’s outfits have found a second life on TikTok, where creators break down each look with the precision of a fashion historian. A pair of kitten heels isn’t just a shoe anymore—it’s a reference and a signal that you know your fashion lore.

I must add this isn’t the first time Miss Bradshaw has the changed the fashion game. This may a new discovery for a new generation, but it is nothing new to anyone older. Patricia Field, the show’s legendary costume designer, used Carrie’s wardrobe as a playground for experimentation.

That impact was massive. Suddenly, people weren’t just flipping through Vogue to see what was in, they were tuning in on Sunday nights to see what Carrie was wearing. The show changed fashion in a way, it wasn’t just about luxury, it was about mixing high and low. It was huge. Before social media, Carrie Bradshaw was essentially the original influencer. She didn’t wear trends but created them. And that’s why it makes perfect sense that, decades later, Gen Z, a generation raised on self-expression and internet fashion culture, would claim her as one of their own.

Sarah Jessica Parker, the icon that you are…

-Kai Love