Lauren Hadley, Costume Critique

Big Hair, bright colors, and shoulder pads, The Carrie Diaries (based off of the hit-TV show, Sex & the City) takes place during the 80’s! The main character, Carrie Bradshaw, lives two different lives, meaning two different styles. Her first life is of a suburban high-school student and her second, more exciting life, is that of a young Fashion Magazine consultant in New York City.  

The man behind the wardrobe is Eric Daman, famously known for his work on the hit-TV show, Gossip Girl. In a recent interview with Teen Vogue Magazine, Eric Daman stated, “I really loved giving [the character’s] retro looks a modern spin by creating what we call '80s aspirational authenticity.”

Although all the wardrobes consisted of bright colors, and geometric patterns, I think Eric did a wonderful job when distinguishing wardrobes for the different settings, either suburban high-school or fashion-forward New York City. For the high-school scenes, the characters wore high-waisted, acid-washed jeans, brightly colored shirts revealing the midriff, and big, chunky jewelry. Through my observation, the brighter and more colorful the outfit, the more popular they were. Carrie, however, although popular, had her own unique style which Eric Daman did a good job at portraying. When asked what the inspiration was for Carrie’s look, Eric said, “We want to keep it contemporary and have an aspirational authenticity to it. It's about mixing and matching prints and shapes that you don't see every day, mixing things from different decades.”

As for Carrie’s other life, her taste in fashion elevates. She goes from simple suburban girl, to high-fashion New Yorker. Carrie’s wardrobe is who I like the most. Since she works at a fashion magazine, Carrie is surrounded by inspiring designers. I like how her character is able to take a puffy, sequenced dress, and make it unique. Although completely separate, I think Carrie’s double life and wardrobe complement each other and you are still able to see the young, suburban girl shine through all the glitz and glam which is the New York life. In the same Teen Vogue interview, Eric Daman said, “And the more she's in New York, there's more of an overlap. As the series progresses, we're going to see a bit more of New York trickle into her everyday life...but she's not going to all of the sudden show up to school in Manolos.”

One character’s wardrobe who I did not life as much as the other characters, is Larissa. Larissa is Carrie’s boss at the fashion magazine. To me, her look is the definition of 80’s glam and high-fashion. Because she is the editor of the magazine, Larissa has access to the closet (every girl’s dream) and has the privilege to wear designer clothing 24/7. What I do not like about Larissa’s wardrobes is that they seem too overdone. Instead of making an outfit her own, and individualized to her, I feel that Larissa’s outfits out shine her. I do however, really like individual pieces of her outfits, but all together, I think it is too much.