When Carrie met Carrie
Since Sex and the City debuted in 1998, women everywhere have imagined what it might be like to talk martinis and Manolos with Carrie Bradshaw. On Friday, March 7, the woman behind the iconic character made an appearance at Nordstrom on 55 East Grand Avenue, and I had the pleasure of chatting with her.
Debuting her first shoe collection, SJP, actress Sarah Jessica Parker explained her foray into sleek single sole heels. “What inspired me was finally finding the right partner,” she revealed, meaning Manolo Blahnik CEO George Malkemus, whom she’s known since she moved to New York in the ‘70s. “I had very graciously been offered the opportunity for a lot of years by wonderful, smart, successful people in the shoe industry, but I realized if I was going to oblige these lovely offers I had to make the shoe I wanted to make. And I knew that partner had to be George.”
I read another interview were Ms. Parker had stated that she treats color as a neutral. When I asked her to explain, she decided to use me as an example. “First of all, I love every color you’ve put together,” she said, sincerely. “Every single color. You have on four different blues, which I think is gorgeous, but it used to be that people wouldn’t do that. They thought everything had to match. So you’ve broken that ‘rule.'” She continued, explaining that I could wear any shoe – in any color – from her line, because I’m not afraid of mixing colors when I dress. Thus, color acts as a neutral.
When asked to compare Chicago fashion to other cities, she explained, “Women should look different; they shouldn’t be compared. It’s not as regional as we think, although there are certain things Chicago women are required to wear here that someone in, say, Miami isn’t. You have unthinkably cold weather so you have to find outerwear that keeps you warm but also makes you feel pretty and tells your story. Chicago is an exciting, urban city with chic women who have interesting taste and sensibility.”
Learn more about the SJP collection, which also includes flats and clutches, at www.nordstrom.com.