INSIDE TV’S MOST COVETED CLOSET

With a new series of the mega-hit Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That… already in the pipeline, Joanne Hegarty meets the stylist behind the showstopping clothes

Costume designer Molly Rogers is talking to me wearing a jumper that’s inside out. The stylist who dressed Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte in the hit Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That… has managed to find the time to put on some lipstick. But she says her own wardrobe is like the cobbler’s children who have no shoes.

‘That’s me when it comes to clothes. All my energy goes on dressing other people. I should make more of an effort, I know!’

This year’s most talked about TV wardrobe made a recent return after the series ranked in HBO’s top ten across its movie and series debuts and was recommissioned last month.

What’s more, there were plenty more standout style moments courtesy of Molly in the new season. Here, she gives an exclusive insight into what it was like to dress Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and the rest of the cast of the show, and opens up about the real-life dramas behind the scenes.

THE STYLE SPOILERS

One thing the wardrobe department never had to contend with on the original series of Sex and the City was the glare of social media, which Molly says presented quite a challenge.

As soon as the cameras started rolling on And Just Like That..., hordes of fans began following the cast around New York, posting photos and videos for the world to scrutinise on dedicated Instagram accounts. ‘We felt like we were getting hyper-judged from the first day of production,’ says Molly. ‘It was crazy. The minute the cast came out of their camper vans, they were filmed – and the discourse was all about what they were wearing. On Sex and the

City, nobody had seen the clothes, sets or scripts. This time we didn’t have that luxury unless it was filmed indoors.’

THE LOVERS AND HATERS

Some in the fashion community loved the costumes, others did not. ‘Initially, I tried not to read the reviews,’ explains Molly, ‘because I knew it wouldn’t be healthy.

But I had a friend who sent me every single negative comment. It was a running joke between us. He said he did it to keep me grounded!’

Molly managed to keep her composure thanks to a thick skin developed while working as Patricia Field’s collaborator on the original Sex and the City, and also because she soon realised a lot of the comments were incorrect. ‘The one report that did get to me – because it was one of