One of Carrie Bradshaw’s most recognizable garments is going up for sale as part of Julien’s “Unstoppable: Signature Styles of Iconic Women in Fashion” auction, taking place Jan. 18. Sarah Jessica Parker famously portrayed the fictional columnist in HBO‘s “Sex and the City,” and she’s recently reprised the role for the show’s 2021 reboot, “And Just Like That.”
“‘Unstoppable’ is a front row seat to the ultimate fashion auction that will feature some of the most dazzling fashion statement pieces worn by Princess Diana, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Cher, Kim Kardashian and other style icons, as well as high-end fashion pieces designed by the most legendary names and houses in luxury and haute couture,” Martin Nolan, executive director and cofounder of Julien’s Auctions, told WWD.
In the original “Sex and the City” intro, Parker’s Bradshaw dons a white tulle tutu that has since become synonymous with the character’s eccentric and oft-imitated wardrobe. Patricia Field, who served as the series’ costume designer, purchased the skirt for just five dollars.
“I was rummaging around in the five-dollar bin at a midtown fashion showroom when I found it: the perfect piece for Sarah Jessica Parker to wear in the opening-title sequence of her new show on HBO,” Field wrote in her 2023 book, “Pat in the City: My Life of Fashion, Style, and Breaking All the Rules.” “I pulled and out came a sort of chic white tutu. I imagined pairing the short, tiered tulle skirt with a small tee or tank for a look that was both contemporary and cool…the tutu-style skirt was whimsical, adventurous, and unexpected—kind of like this show, ‘Sex and the City.’”
The now iconic piece, which features a satin waistband, is estimated to fetch up to $12,000 at auction, although it wasn’t the only look that was considered for the “Sex and the City” opening.
Field had planned to style Parker in a dress from Marc Jacobs’ spring 1998 collection. She later swapped the frock, originally modeled by Kate Moss, for the tutu, feeling that the latter was more timeless.
Another notable Carrie Bradshaw look, a Christian Dior newsprint dress, designed by John Galliano, is also included in Julien’s “Unstoppable” auction. The strapless chiffon piece, embellished with tulle, is similar to the one worn by Parker in Season Three of “Sex and the City” and in the feature film “Sex and the City 2.”
Galliano’s design was inspired by fellow fashion legend Elsa Schiaparelli, who first introduced a newsprint dress back in 1935. Schiaparelli’s version featured actual clippings of articles written about her work. Galliano parodied this concept to launch his own line of “Gazette” dresses, gowns and outerwear as part of Dior’s fall 2000 collection.
Online bidding for Julien’s “Unstoppable” auction is open now and concludes on Jan. 18. Bids can be placed at julienslive.com.
Other highlights from “Unstoppable” include bedazzled jeans and heels worn by Cher at the 1999 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Paris Hilton’s Louis Verdad dress featured on the cover of her eponymous album, as well as a black and white strapless Catherine Walker frock Princess Diana wore to a private event. Last year, Julien’s broke records with the sale of another design donned by the late royal: a beaded Jacques Azagury piece realized $1.1 million, making it the most expensive of Diana’s dresses to sell at auction.
