Sarah Jessica Parker
Known by her initials SJP, the American actress became a style icon in the 90s and 2000s after Sex and the City catapulted her to fame. Hailing from Ohio and later New York, she has 7 siblings and started acting as a young girl.
She appeared in a string of films in the 80s and 90s before being cast as Carrie Bradshaw in 1997.
Parker received numerous awards for her role in the series before it ended in 2004. After 17 years off the air, the show rebooted as ‘And Just Like That…’ in 2021.
As Carrie Bradshaw, she was known for wearing Manolo Blahnik’s and Jimmy Choos (“Wait, I lost my Choo!”). Carrie’s style icon status made Parker’s own style highly regarded and the two overlapped. She sometimes even wears Carrie’s actual costumes or references Carrie in her own style. She wore Carrie’s DKNY ‘naked dress’ (S1E6) to the Vogue fashion awards in 1997 before the show had premiered (the dress is peak 90s minimalism and has gone down as one of the greats).
At the 2019 Annual New York City Ballet Fall Fashion Gala, she wore mismatched gold and pink heels in homage to a scene where Carrie wore mismatched Louboutin’s.
In the 2000s, Parker became involved with a number of fashion brands. She hosted the MTV awards in 2000 appearing in 14 different outfits.
She appeared in Gap ads in 2004-5 which sparked criticism as association with the company was far removed from her Sex and the City character who typically wears high end fashion.
In 2006, she attended the Met Gala with Alexander McQueen wearing matching tartan outfits by the designer.
She launched her own affordable clothing line called Bitten in 2007. She was also a judge on Project Runway that year.
In the 2010s she continued to form brand relationships. She started the SJP footwear collection at Nordstrom, banking on Carrie’s penchant for shoes. In 2015, she became the spokesperson for Jordache Jeans. In 2018, she launched a RTW bridal collection with Gilt.
The New York Times wrote in 2013 that costume designer Patricia Field had started crazes for nameplate necklaces, Manolo Blahnik shoes, flower corsages and visible bra straps.
The Guardian fashion editor Chelsea Fairless wrote in 2018 "I would venture to say that the mix of high fashion and fast fashion that Patricia Field brought to the show influenced most people who work in fashion in one way or another."
The popular instagram account @everyoutfitonsatc is a testament to the enduring fashion influence of the show and Carrie in particular.
Sarah revealed in 2021 that she has personally kept every single piece of costume that Carrie has ever worn. The pieces are organized by season, episode and scene in her storage facility.
Chloe Sevigny
At 17, Chloë was discovered while standing at a newsstand wearing large, corduroy overalls in the East Village by fashion editor of Sassy Magazine, Adrea Lee Linett.
She was asked on the spot to be in a commercial for the “Jane” show, and eventually to intern at the magazine. Her style was what caught their eye, and soon caught the attention of all of New York once she was dubbed “the coolest girl in the world” and profiled in the New Yorker at 19.
She wore primarily all thrifted clothing, having grown up thrifting with her mom and coming from a less affluent home than where she lived. She didn’t relate to the kids from her hometown, and escaped to New York City as often as possible, hanging out in Washington Square Park with the skaters and artists. She experimented with drugs and spent most of her free time skateboarding with her brother and sewing her own clothes. She attended theatre camps and knew she would also want to act, or become a costume designer.
A few months after her Sassy shoot, a photographer from i-D, one of her favourite publications, saw her and asked if she would like to be in the magazine. Shortly after that, she was starring in music videos for Sonic Youth and The Lemonheads. She met Harmony Korrine who put her in his debut film ‘Kids’ in 1995, which led to her getting more movie roles throughout the 90s and early 2000s.
She moved to New York at the age of 19, and worked at Liquid Sky, a formative shop and space for what would become the New York underground rave scene during the 90s. She continued to be in demand in fashion and film, only choosing what she wanted. She walked in Margiela's runway show in 1994, but turned down a shoot with Steven Miesel.
In 2002, she became creative director of her friend Tara Subkoff’s clothing line, Imitation of Christ, which was a line of upcycled clothing. In 2009 she collaborated on a collection for Opening Ceremony. She continues to be one of the most iconic and influential figures in fashion, but sees herself as an outsider from Hollywood.
Supermodels
“We don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day” - Linda Evangelista.
Kate, Claudia, Naomi, Linda, Cindy, Christy, Heidi - just some of the iconic 90s supermodels that became household names. These women were constantly photographed at galas and parties, in demand for every runway show, high profile fashion campaign, graced every magazine cover and travelled around the world.
The era of the supermodel really began in 1990, when British Vogue published the iconic cover of Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, and Tatjana Patitz, photographed by Peter Lindbergh.
It started with “The Trinity”, which consisted of St. Catherine’s, Ont. born Evangelista, British ballerina Campbell, and Christy Turlington, who was the “all-American”.
The supermodels skyrocketed to fame through photoshoots with photographers like Ellen von Unwerth, Steven Miesel and Richard Avedon. Soon they were no longer just models, but celebrities in their own right.
Claudia Schiffer became famous as the Guess Girl, and George Michael’s music video for “Freedom! ‘90” became one of the most iconic music videos, as it featured Evangelista, Turlington, Campbell, Crawford and Tatjana Patitz.
The following year Helena Christensen starred in Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” music video.
Designers like Gianni Versace and Karl Lagerfeld also championed the models. Claudia Schiffer became the muse to Karl Lagerfeld throughout the 90s, often being photographed by him for Chanel’s campaigns and starring in his runway shows. They became very close, and he mentored her through the beginning of her career.
Many of Versace’s campaigns throughout the 90s featured the models in group shots shot by Richard Avedon.
Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista appeared in the highest budgeted commercial for Vauxhall Corsa automobile. It was 4.5 million USD in 1992.
South-Sudanese-British model Alek Wek also rose to fame in the 1990s. Wek was discovered in 1995 by a scout from Model 1 Agency in London. She was very sought after, often gracing the runway of Alexander McQueen, YSL, Christian Lacroix and Valentino.
Tyra Banks also rose to fame throughout the 90s when she was discovered at the age of 15. She was one of the few Black supermodels at the time, and was the first Black woman to be on the cover of GQ and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1993, and on the cover of the Victoria’s Secret Catalog in 1997.
*Authors:
SJP: Síne McEllin
Sevigny & models: Ainslie Lahey