For summer outfit inspiration, check out 'And Just Like That'

“Yes‭,‬”‭ ‬I exclaimed‭, ‬sitting bolt upright in bed‭, ‬startling my husband as an image of Sarah Jessica Parker‭ (‬SJP‭) ‬wearing a midnight blue‭, ‬long-sleeved gown appeared on my feed last week‭. (‬I am fully cognisant that pre-sleep scrolling is a terrible idea‭, ‬but fashion has callous disregard for circadian rhythms‭.) ‬Obviously‭, ‬Vivienne Westwood‭, ‬not obviously this season‭, ‬the dress in question‭ ‬turns out to be a vintage piece once owned by the late designer herself and now worn by SJP to the premiere of‭ ‬And Just Like That‮…‬‭ ‬Season 3‭.‬

Streaming this weekend on OSN‭+, ‬the third instalment of the‭ ‬Sex and the City‭ (‬SATC‭) ‬spinoff is set to bring a much-needed jolt of life to my style mojo this summer‭. ‬Is it just me‭, ‬or has all that greige‭, ‬oversized suiting we’ve been exposed to for so long gotten a bit‭, ‬well‭, ‬greige‭? ‬I am old enough to remember the time that Prada did grey in the late‭ ‬’90s and the entire high street followed suit‭; ‬Marks‭ & ‬Spencer looked like its school uniform department had overrun the entire store‭. ‬After a few seasons of ubiquitous restrained V-neck woollen sweaters‭, ‬it’s no wonder sense went out of the window and brightly coloured‭, ‬bedazzled Juicy Couture tracksuits came rushing in‭. ‬

Since then‭, ‬fashion has done its cyclical thing‭; ‬sometimes OTT and shouty‭, ‬sometimes restrained and whispering‭. ‬In the 2010s‭, ‬the birth of Instagram inevitably went hand-in-iPhone-clutching-hand with the kind of exuberant street style best exemplified by then Italian‭ ‬Vogue‭ ‬fashion editor Anna Dello Russo‭ (‬ADR‭). ‬Peacocking became an actual job‭ ‬–‭ ‬influencing‭ ‬–‭ ‬and no one did it like ADR‭. ‬Not since Carrie Bradshaw had completely bonkers style choices been so celebrated‭. ‬

By this decade‭, ‬macro trends‭ ‬–‭ ‬minimal‭, ‬maximal‭, ‬and everything in-between‭ ‬–‭ ‬have been rendered obsolete by the takeover of the algorithm‭, ‬which feeds us increasing amounts of what we already like‭ (‬in my‭ ‬case‭, ‬Taylor Swift‭). ‬But that hasn’t stopped a pervasive desaturation of fun in pursuit of cool from dampening the fashion outlook‭. ‬Even ADR has hung up her Dolce‭ ‬‭& ‬Gabbana cherry hat for a life of meditation and yoga‭. ‬Thank the fashion deities then‭, ‬for SJP and her alter ego‭, ‬Carrie‭, ‬showing us that we can still find joy in fashion‭, ‬that smiling is allowed‭, ‬and that bow-adorned hot pink shoes are never a bad idea‭. ‬Even in a rat-infested New York summer‭. ‬

We are now two decades on from the conclusion of‭ ‬SATC‭. ‬Parker turned 60‭ ‬this year‭, ‬and I am delighted that she refuses to let the advancement of time dull her style sparkle‭. ‬That medieval corseted navy Westwood dress was inspired‭; ‬nodding as it does to Bradshaw’s iconic wedding gown‭, ‬which the character re-wore to the Met Gala in Season 2‭ ‬of‭ ‬And Just Like That‮…‬‭ ‬Personal style doesn’t have an expiry date‭. ‬Neither should it have rules‭. ‬One day we can be Carrie in layers of tulle‭, ‬the next we can be Miuccia in a minimalist Prada re-edition from the 2000s‭. ‬I have to confess my own inclinations tend to fall on the Carrie side of the fence‭. ‬In a fashion-off between saccharine-shaded lashings of tulle and androgynous griege suiting‭, ‬99‭ ‬per cent of the time I’ll side with the tulle‭. ‬

There’s something so life-affirming about going full Patricia Field‭, ‬whose original costumes for‭ ‬SATC‭ ‬were as much a cast member as Carrie‭, ‬Samantha‭, ‬Miranda‭, ‬Charlotte and‭, ‬of course‭, ‬NYC herself‭. ‬So yes‭, ‬I’ll be tuning in for the fashion this weekend‭, ‬just as much as the narrative thread that as Elie Habib‭, ‬CEO of OSN‭+ & ‬Anghami‭, ‬says‭, ‬“Not only celebrate timeless friendships that transcend cultures‭, ‬especially in our part of the world where close-knit social and‭ ‬family ties are deeply valued‭, ‬but also reflect the evolving journeys we all experience‭, ‬beyond the bounds of age‭.‬”