Bali, not Birkins: What smart investors need to know about changing status symbols
'It's not a bag, it's a Birkin.'
In 2001, Sex and the City introduced us to the Hermès Birkin, with character Samantha Jones being told there was a five year waiting list for would-be buyers. The fashion set's favourite accessory went mainstream.
The Birkin continues to sell well over 20 years later, both new and second hand. Resale values have reportedly risen faster than gold. The Birkin has helped Hermès to outperform in what has been a torrid time for luxury brands.
But how long can that appeal sustain?
The Experience Economy
Around the same time Sex and the City first aired, B. Joseph Pine and James H. Gilmore published a book coining the term, 'the Experience Economy'. It argued that as the economy evolves...
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Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
SATC icon Kristin Davis finally shares whether she dated Mr. Big star Chris Noth after years of romance rumors
Sex And The City icon Kristin Davis has finally revealed whether she dated her co-star Chris Noth after years of swirling romance rumors. Noth famously played Mr. Big, the central on-off love interest of Sarah Jessica Parker 's character Carrie Bradshaw, on the original series and in the two films. Davis meanwhile featured as Charlotte York, one of the four main friends on the show including Carrie, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha (Kim Cattrall). When the show's spin-off And Just Like That... debuted in 2021, Mr. Big briefly appeared as Carrie's husband - only to quickly die of a heart attack on a Peloton. Right after his character was killed off, Noth's career was upended by a string of sexual misconduct allegations, which he has since strenuously denied. Now Davis, 60, has used her Instagram page to address the years of speculation that she and Noth, 70, were once romantically involved in real life. Sex And The City icon Kristin Davis has finally revealed whether she dated her co-star Chris Noth after years of swirling romance rumors She dropped the bombshell in the comments section of a podcast clip in which she and Megan Thee Stallion discussed Mr. Big as a character. One fan wrote under the footage: 'Maam didn't you date him??' prompting Davis to clarify to the public once and for all: 'No i didnit!!!' In 2023, Noth firmly denied multiple allegation allegations of sexual misconduct in his first interview about the charges that infamously put his career on hold. Noth, who has insisted he is still close to his former Sex and the City co-stars, told USA Today that any encounters he has had outside his marriage were consensual. 'I strayed on my wife, and it's devastating to her and not a very pretty picture,' he told the outlet. 'What it isn't, is a crime.' The former Law and Order star has been married to his wife since 2012. The couple were together for 10 years before tying the knot and are parents to two children - Orion, 16, and Keats. Noth said he has spoken to his teenager about the situation. The SAG nominee admitted his infidelity saying, 'You give yourself the same excuses that many men do; it's just a little side dance, and it's fun. He said he justified by telling himself, 'You're not hurting anybody. No one's going to know about this, you know, and sex is just enjoyable.' 'And suddenly, a lot of people want to have sex with you. It's like, 'Well, I'm not going to get this chance again."' Noth denied those allegations, along with the claims of a fourth woman who also accused him of misconduct. Noth's character, Big,' was killed off in the first episode of the Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That, a move that was planned as part of the plotline. The veteran star was fired from his job on the CBS drama The Equalizer shortly after the allegations were made public. Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis issued a joint statement saying, 'We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.' No criminal charges have been filed yet. New York does not have a statute of limitations on rape. The actor hinted the women who accused him may have a financial motive. Four women have told very different stories about their experiences with the Sex and the City star. In Dec. 2021, just weeks after his character was killed off on the in the SATC spin-off And Just Like That, two women went public with their allegations of sexual misconduct. One claimed he raped her in 2015 after she met the actor while working as a server at a nightclub. The second told The Hollywood Reporter Noth raped her in 2004. The actor's rep called the allegations 'categorically false.' A third woman came forward shortly after the THR article, and told The Daily Beast she had been assaulted by the Gone actor when she was 18 and working at a restaurant in New York. 'That's a money train for a lot of people,' he said. No lawsuits against the Manhunt actor have been filed. 'There's nothing I can say to change anyone's mind when you have that kind of a tidal wave,' he claimed. 'It sounds defensive. I'm not. There's no criminal court. There's no criminal trial. There's nothing for me to get on the stand about and get my story out, get witnesses.' The Good Wife actor had at the time been directing and performing at a theater in Massachusetts. He was working for Samuelsohn, a suit company launching a campaign to raise awareness about men's mental health when he spoke with the reporter from USA Today. 'I'm an actor,' he stated. 'I have other things that I want to do creatively. And I have children to support. I can't just rest on my laurels,' he said of his limited opportunities. 'I have enough to let a year drift, but I don't know how to gauge or judge getting back into the club, the business, because corporations are frightened.' 'Fear is the overriding operative word when it comes to whether they believe it or not,' he explained. 'I have to just continue on. It's rough, because people are scared, and their fear leads them. And I have to just persevere because I still have a creative life.'
The Guardian
16 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘I've been crucified!' Sarah Jessica Parker on dating, delis – and surviving three decades of Carrie haters
Carrie Bradshaw was undoubtedly not intended as a hate figure when Sex and the City first aired. But in recent years, a curious cultural shift has occurred: newer fans have started to see Carrie, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, as the most toxic thing about the horny, headline-grabbing show. An entire website, Carrie Bradshaw Is the Worst, was devoted to explaining why Carrie sucked. (The most common complaints: she cheated on nice guy Aidan; talked about herself too much.) One viral essay posited that Carrie was TV's first female antihero. Parker, 60 and still synonymous with pop culture's most iconic single gal, has grown to love the term. 'I prefer that to any other description of her, because it allows her to be as male as the men have been. I love The Sopranos so much, and I look at all the times [Tony] was unlawful, and we loved him. Carrie has an affair and everybody falls apart,' says Parker ruefully. 'An antihero, to me, is somebody that's not behaving in conventional ways, and she hasn't ever.' She pauses. 'Am I crazy?' Another pause. 'A lot of people love her too, though!' Nobody could accuse Parker of being an antihero; in person, she is considered and endlessly gracious, eloquent in a way that puts her in stark contrast to Carrie, the garrulous character she made so indelible 27 years ago. In 2021, she returned to the role in spin-off And Just Like That with the same fizz and magnetism. Seated in a Paris hotel room for the European launch of the show's new season, Parker is tiny – her tininess magnified by the chicly gigantic grey V-neck she wears over a floral dress – and has impeccable posture, surely a holdover of her childhood years spent training as a ballet dancer. AJLT is a hugely divisive show – a marker of how relevant Sex and the City remains – largely because of its clunky handling of race and sexuality, though it arguably nails the way moneyed older people try, clumsily, to talk about progressive politics. Some fans hated the absence of Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones, and the introduction of Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez), a non-binary standup who becomes Miranda's (Cynthia Nixon) love interest. But for many, the revival is a deft exploration of life after grief – Carrie's husband, Mr Big, dies in episode one – and a frothy ode to traditions that seem to be dying out: getting dressed up on a whim for brunch; finding romance in everyday life. This season – which focuses on Carrie's relationship with on-again, off-again beau Aidan, a handsome new neighbour played by Jonathan Cake, plus hijinks such as Miranda accidentally sleeping with a virgin lesbian nun – is just as delightful. Front and centre, of course, are Carrie's incredible outfits. She is always dressed to the nines, whether walking through the park in a gigantic hat that looks like a picnic basket or strutting through her apartment wearing a dress adorned with hundreds of jangly charms. (At one point, her proclivity for heels even becomes a key plot driver, as her downstairs neighbour asks her to invest in – gasp! – slippers.) This might be one of the show's most fantastical elements: a version of New York where everyone isn't just walking around in yoga sweats. How does Parker, a local style icon herself, feel about the city's shift to athleisure? 'I mean, I see a lot of people – women in particular – in New York in leggings. They are often on their way to, it seems to me, an exercise experience of some kind. I'm slightly allergic to me criticising the commitment to athleisure wear … You can't be a hypocrite about it if you believe in wearing what feels good when you walk out the door,' she says. 'There are occasions when I think: 'People should be dressed up, I want to see some effort,' but the idea of legislating that is counter to a lot of stuff we're meant to feel and live by. So, it's not creative but if you're comfortable, I mean, who am I?' Perhaps AJLT's main function, then, is as an appealingly joyful piece of escapism in catastrophically dark times. But in the new season, Parker hopes, the show takes on new depth, too. 'I was excited about the way the relationship with Aidan would sort itself out, because there's a new maturity to both parties, especially Carrie,' she says. 'It all sounded good to me – challenging, exciting, fun and hopefully funny.' Carrie's growth is one of the show's many changes that she welcomes with open arms. 'It's no surprise that at this point in her life, she's just more equipped, like we all are. I'm reacting differently to things now because I have a decade more experience,' she says. If she were still an antihero … well, that would be a hard sell. 'We've not seen Carrie at this point in her life – I think it's developmentally correct, but not that surprising. You know, she's not been a wildly hysterical person for the [entire] nine years spent on television!' The complexity of a character such as Carrie may have caused some of AJLT's new additions to seem one-note in comparison. Che Diaz, the 'queer non-binary Mexican-Irish diva', was one of its most controversial additions – a caricature of queer culture in stark contrast to the nuanced women who defined the original show. Che hasn't returned for season three. Parker says she was 'shocked' to discover the character was so widely reviled. 'A friend of mine brought it up to me, and it's like: 'What are you talking about?' And he said: 'Yeah, there's all this conversation,'' she recalls. 'I've been an actor for 50 years, and I've almost never paid attention to peripheral chatter. I loved working with them.' Viewers and critics may have had a problem with Che, but if anyone's flying the flag for Carrie, it's gen Z. On social media, Carrie is seen as the ultimate messy protagonist; flighty and flinty in equal measure, she is the perfect avatar for a generation obsessed with debating (and subsequently ignoring) red flags and turning traumatic events into pithy one-liners. Barely a day goes by when I don't see Carrie's 'Single & Fabulous?' New York magazine cover repurposed as aresponse to a modern embarrassment. Parker hasn't seen this phenomenon first-hand ('I'm not on TikTok myself – I don't say that pridefully, I'm just overwhelmed by the idea of it') but hears about it from friends' kids. 'It's curious, because their lives are so different – the language they use around dating is different,' she says. 'They're less patient. They're more punitive. They're not as forgiving of people's shortcomings. I'm not condemning it, it's just what I've heard. So it's really interesting that they feel so spirited about it. It doesn't mean they aren't objecting to Big and Carrie's relationship, or the way he treated her, or choices Carrie made. But people had those strong feelings back then, too.' Does she ever feel disheartened that the original show – a quarter century-old ur-text of heteropessimism – still feels so relevant to audiences now, who find the carnival of dud men dated by Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha painfully relatable? 'I think it would be a reason to feel disheartened, but the show is also about finding home and contentment, whatever home means to you,' says Parker. 'I feel that 20- and 30-year-olds should be searching. There should be something in the distance that's important and exciting, and worth the wait. Part of it is rather dreary that great women of all ages are still incredibly frustrated by the dating scene, but I also see a lot of happy endings.' The culture around Sex and the City is cyclical in more ways than one. In the 2000s, the show was criticised for accelerating the gentrification of New York's meatpacking district; now, New Yorkers are fretting about the arrival of the West Village Girl, a new city transplant who treats the neighbourhood as 'a fabulous theme park … to live out Sex and the City fantasies', is how New York magazine recently described it. I ask Parker if, as a longtime West Village resident, she's heard of this stereotype, which has caused endless conversation online recently, and she immediately turns sheepish, admitting that her husband Matthew Broderick worded her up on the terminology the week prior. 'We see it all the time. I mean, every single place has lines round the corner, there's young girls dressed in very fine threads everywhere, and they're all stopping in the street and taking their pictures, raising a camera up high,' she says, holding her arm up as if taking an 0.5 selfie. Parker is rattling off the West Village Girl description with ease; for a second, I feel as if I'm in one of Sex and the City's brunch scenes in which the ladies pontificate, with relish, on the hot topics of the day. 'But I remember they said that about the meatpacking, too – they said we ruined it. I recall being crucified for that. It happens – the West Village is a very charming advent calendar kind of neighbourhood, and it's been through many versions of this, and the true born-and-raised West Villagers have always complained about it, and rightly so, because it's priced people out. She continues: 'Retail rent has gone way high, the price of a coffee – because they're not going to the deli! If you would just go to the deli,' – she cups her hand around her mouth as if trying to reach the West Village girls through a megaphone – 'Just go support Sam's Deli on West 4th Street! But I think that's the nature of these things … you've seen the lines for a croissant that's not really croissant – is it a bagel? Is it a donut? Then they top it off with some whipped cream and olive oil and salt and people go mad for it.' Today's New York – exclusively a playground for the wealthy, some say – is a far cry from the New York Parker grew up in, after her family moved in an RV from Cincinnati to Roosevelt Island in 1977 in search of opportunity. She frets about the inaccessibility of the city to working-class people 'constantly.' 'It's beyond a concern – New York has become impossible for artists, [whether] ballet dancers, photographers, whomever. We haven't had the kind of political support in our city to really be smart and innovative about affordable housing and protecting culture. It's our biggest export – so when we're not able to offer shelter to the people producing that, and focus on tax breaks for big corporations, we lose what makes us singular,' she says. 'It's like an epidemic, this constantly untreated problem. We all do better for having [artistic] communities. Every study in the world shows it.' It was New York's deep-rooted arts scene that nurtured Parker's entire career, from her stint being directed – as a child – by Harold Pinter in a Broadway production of The Innocents to her time performing in experimental theatre to her role as Carrie. It's somewhat surprising she was so game to return to the character given that she's gone to such efforts to break free of the Carrie archetype with projects such as the 2016 drama Divorce or last year's stage revival of Plaza Suite, with Broderick, in London – not to mention being a judge for the 2025 Booker prize. Was there ever, I wonder, any reluctance? I read her a quote from 2006 by her former co-worker Cattrall, in which she says there's a 'darkness' to playing an iconic character, because those around you can lose sense of where the character ends and you begin. Parker, who has famously fallen out with Cattrall in recent years, seems to stiffen slightly at the mention of her name, before relaxing when realising the question is not about her. 'Being a public person is complicated,' she says. 'It asks you to be generous of spirit at times in which you might have a child having a meltdown at an airport, or you're having a tough conversation on the phone. But if that's my cross to bear, I'm in a pretty enviable place.' And Just Like That is on Sky Comedy and Now in the UK. In the US and Australia, it airs on Max.
Telegraph
20 hours ago
- Telegraph
The Carrie Bradshaw guide to style over 50
The world – or at least that tranche of it that's a Sex And The City fan – is divided into two sorts of people: those who wouldn't watch divisive sequel And Just Like That if they were on fire, and those who would merrily walk into one for the love of Carrie Bradshaw. Only one episode in, and plot-wise at least, Season Three is already making the haters feel vindicated, while severely testing the loyalty of even the most diehard fans. Nobody wants to watch Carrie and Aidan having phone sex. Few things in life are more dispiriting than faking an orgasm, but faking a phone sex orgasm is surely one of them. But let us move on, like Miranda after another doomed lesbian tryst, and focus on the real joy of the show – the fashion. Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte are older and wiser now than when they first burst onto our screens in 1997, though thankfully not so old or wise as to refrain from wearing impractical dresses, mad-assed hats and bags the price of a small condo. So what if the plot is more far-fetched than Big coming back from the dead? (though at this stage, we probably shouldn't rule that out). We come for the memories: we stay for the fashion. Here are seven learnings from episode one. Carrie is still a huge fan of British fashion Is Simone Rocha an AJLT fan? The show is certainly a fan of hers. Carrie's first appearance sees her in a sheer blush pink dress and matching duster coat from Rocha's spring/summer 24 collection, the long-stemmed roses suspended between its tulle layers a knowing nod to Carrie's long-term love affair with corsages. Whimsical and romantic, it's the perfect choice for a quick trip to the post box – if you're Carrie, anyway. Later, she's seen in a blue lace Zandra Rhodes blouse and an Ossie Clarke maxi dress, while a forthcoming episode will see her wearing up and coming Liverpudlian designer, Patrick McDowell. A staunch supporter of the late Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood, it's heartening to see Carrie still doing her bit for Anglo-American relations. She's also a fan of orthopaedic shoes Dr Scholls? Young Carrie would never. While she's teetered down countless sidewalks in sky-high Manolos and Choos, at 58 (or thereabouts), she's decided it's time to swap her 24/7 heels for more sensible footwear, at least when the occasion warrants. Which is why she's spotted strolling in the park wearing white 'Pescura' mules, £117, by Scholl. Samantha Jones wouldn't approve, but Carrie's ankles will. New Yorkers don't wear jeans and parkas to walk their dogs Although they do wear workout gear. Walking her English bulldog, Richard Burton, in Central Park, Charlotte is seen in a lace Gucci track jacket, £902, while Lisa wears a mint green Y-3 tracksuit, orange Hoka Mach 6 trainers, £140, and and a Gymwrap visor that's a snip (in AJLT terms) at $25.95. Clearly, Marfa Stance parkas are not ubiquitous (yet) in Manhattan. Not every label is high end As the wealthiest of the original four friends, Charlotte York can always be relied upon to wear a tasteful, preppy melange of Carolina Herrera, Veronica Beard and Ralph Lauren. High street? Charlotte doesn't know her. Which is why it's a surprise to see a Shein box sullying her marble kitchen counter top. Are times really that hard for Harry Goldenblatt? In fact, the box is a plot device that hammers home a message. 'Maybe don't order so much fast fashion – it's killing the environment,' Charlotte's non-binary daughter, Rock, says to her sister Lily, who is the culprit. But they do love polka dots Like the Princess of Wales, Carrie and Charlotte have both pledged their allegiance to black and white polka dots this season, with Charlotte wearing a black high-necked Saint Laurent blouse, £1225, and Carrie seen in a cropped 'Delia' shirt by Rebecca Valance, £320. The night attire is as enviable as the daywear With age comes an increasing obsession with night attire, or maybe that's just me. This episode runs the gamut from sensible to seductive. Seema (Sarita Choudhury) likes to lounge around in a gold kaftan and black push-up bra, Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker) favours a fluid satin dressing gown and matching wide-leg trousers, while Carrie wears a pink and white candy striped night shirt that looks surprisingly prosaic, and very comfy. Perhaps she finds it too maudlin now to wear Mr Big's old shirts to bed, and who can blame her. The accessories are still on point While Carrie's gingham 'Head In The Clouds' Maryam Keyhani hat was doubtless chosen for its potential to go viral rather than as a feasible item of headgear, the first episode is a feast of covetable items, proving that while you might age out of three-inch heels, you're never too old for a fabulous accessory. Star of the episode is Carrie's crystal-embellished Gucci 'Jackie' shoulder bag, £10,500, a fitting choice, given younger Carrie's obsession with Tom Ford-era Gucci. Honourable mentions also go to Seema's capacious silver Published by Arabella tote bag (now sold out) and Lisa's Proenza Schouler feather sandals, £1055. For those whose budgets don't quite stretch to these, there's always Charlotte's Burberry poop bag, for never let it be said that Richard Burton doesn't defecate in style. And just like that, we're weirdly hooked and ready to cringe-watch (an adjunct to binge-watch) the rest of the season.
