Sex and the City

Living in the present “Woke” era where we strive to be better in our approach on many issues, are we being overly politically correct?

Charlotte, Carrie, Miranda and Samantha

It was one of the weekends where I had the blessing of having an entire house and evening for myself that I decided to rewatch the entire season 5 of my favorite Sex and the City series from my random list of shows on my tv box. The iconic series had a reboot couple of years ago and I did watch a few episodes from the rebooted first season of And Just Like That.... But I had to abandon the series that I’ve always wanted to come back to our screens.

Somehow I just can’t seem to connect with the stories of the ladies in the present era.

Perhaps it was the absence of Samantha or perhaps it was the inclusion of certain storylines that somehow distanced the viewers from our beloved characters. Or maybe it was the overly politically correct messages that the writer wrote into the script that somehow changes the tone of series.

As we embrace a more inclusive society today, we wanted to have more representation of different groups and discussion on more issues that we weren’t ready for in the past. I’ve heard comments like “Sex and the City doesn’t have a diverse cast” and it was merely “focusing on the four white women” throughout the series. But while it is true on some aspects about the lack of representation, I truly enjoyed how much I have connected with the characters over the 6 seasons and 2 movies. The issues and topics discussed back then wasn’t exactly mind-blowing and life-changing, but somehow it got me diving deeper into some issues and set me thinking about how I would approach certain issues in life.

Being two decades older now, my mindset and attitude may have evolve or drastically change, I have a newfound deeper appreciation for the series and how it may have serve as a guide for me while I embrace adulthood and quarter-life crisis.

I had the pleasure of reimagining Sex and the City and reinterpreting the ladies’ fashion in present day Vancouver for my Spring Summer 2024 collection in fashion school. Not only do I get the opportunity of exploring the different elements of fashion and Vancouver, I also had the joy of delving into the stories of Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha (yet again) during the creative journey. I also get to know a lot more about myself during this period where I fully immersed myself into the world of Sex and the City. The collection have a focus on my interpretation of the balance for masculinity and femininity in this present era and how Vancouver influence the fashion of my beloved characters.

There were some challenges on how to ensure that my designs were fitting for their styles and how it brings out elements of the series while showcasing my creativity and not limiting my ideas within the box. Somehow I also had to overcome the limitations about confining someone into certain style based on their gender and how to be more inclusive in my representation of the ladies in this era. I guess I have somehow created the pieces that I am proud that reflects my interpretation of the topics, style and sticking to my concept for the collection. All of these happened quickly as I had the series playing on the television as I work on my creation.

Now that I am done with the collection. I still can’t bid farewell to the ladies of Sex and the City just yet as I really want to connect with their present day selves to get (perhaps) a better understanding of myself in the “Woke” era. It is time to continue where I left off in And Just Like That...