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National Post

Sex and the City costume designer shines in own film

Quick — name the five best costume designers in television. OK, the three best. Still can't get there? We're not surprised. There's arguably only one costume designer who's changed the visual language of television in the last quarter-century and become a household name in the process: Patricia Field. Article content Known for her work on Sex and the City — but boasting other credits such as Ugly Betty and Emily in Paris — Field concocts outfits that mix colours and textures, as well as couture and bargain fashion, with wild abandon. She's also won two Emmys and earned an Oscar nomination for her work on The Devil Wears Prada. Article content A documentary that spotlights her — titled Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field — is making its Canadian broadcast debut on Aug. 22. Airing on Super Channel Fuse, it originally premièred at the 2023 Tribeca Festival and had a limited theatrical release. (A memoir titled Pat in the City also came out in 2023.) Article content 'I had a great time on Happy Clothes, the documentary I worked on with the director Michael Selditch,' Field told The New York Times last September. 'Part of the fun was being filmed tooling around Brooklyn in my T-Bird with the top down.' Article content Of course, there's more to the film than that. There's the story of how she opened a clothing store in 1960s New York City, catering to underground culture. There are interviews with Kim Cattrall, Lily Collins, Sarah Jessica Parker, Darren Star and Vanessa Williams, among others. And there are her inspirations — both professional and personal. Article content 'The women in my family, my aunts, my grandmother — they were achievers,' Field told The New York Times. 'They inspired me. They taught me: Do what you like and what you're good at, and you'll make things happen. I've always liked fashion, so working in fashion was easy for me.' Article content Field, 84, is also excited by the exuberance of youth. Speaking last May on the CBC radio show Q with Tom Power, she explained why it has fuelled her creativity over the decades. Article content 'Young people love imagination,' she said. 'Their brains are open. They haven't solidified their brain matter yet and I love working with young people for that reason, because even though I may not be young, my brain is still open, I think.' Article content As for the title of the documentary — Happy Clothes — Field explained that the term refers to garments that both make you feel good and represent your authentic self. Article content