The recent Carrie Bradshaw renaissance comes as no surprise. Sex and the City has always been beloved, but with the enduring cultural nostalgia for the early 2000s, Carrie Bradshaw has become an icon for a new generation of young women pushing the envelope of fashion.
Carrie’s signature style – characterized by a lack of cohesion, patterns on patterns, and shifting aesthetics, sometimes even within the same outfit– has come to symbolize the messiness, experimentation, and drama of turn-of-the-century pop culture. She embodies clubs blaring dance music, spending the night with a stranger, and colorful clothes strewn across the apartment. She encapsulates a female heroine many millennial and Gen Z girls remember from their childhood, the culmination of the Penny Lanes, Serena Vanderwoodsens, and Veronica Marses. She even carries the air of a grown-up Hannah Montana. For the girls eager to recreate Carrie’s stylistic joie de vivre, vintage is going to be their best friend, and there’s no better place for vintage than Carrie’s own Manhattan.
Funny Pretty Nice
Located at 64 MacDougal Street, Funny Pretty Nice is a short walk from one of Manhattan’s most well-known landmarks, Washington Square Park. The store was founded by Instagram It-Girl Natalia Spotts, and it has grown into somewhat of a phenomenon in Soho. Walking into the store, you’re immediately made comfortable by the airy atmosphere afforded by the ample light coming in through the windows. To a background chorus of Charli XCX and other pop hard-hitters, girls can browse racks filled with vintage Versace, Fendi, John Galliano, and Moschino. If you’re a frequenter of @findingcarriescloset on Instagram, you know these brands regularly made an appearance in Carrie’s wardrobe. Several pieces feature Carrie’s trademark vibrant colors, flowing fabrics, and quirky patterns. The store also displays a collection of cargo pants and skirts, a material featured in many of Carrie’s most memorable outfits. You can also find authentic Y2K graphic tees, sequined tops, and canonical 2000s chiffon dresses among their hand-picked pieces.
Cure Thrift
When you first walk into Cure Thrift at 91 3rd Avenue, you might not be sure that you’re in the right place. The store displays a diverse assortment of eclectic items, from electrically vibrant paintings to creepy fabric dolls. A charm bar lies at center stage, where customers can sift through thousands of baubles to adorn a silver or gold chain that can be purchased at the register. But for the Carrie Bradshaw aficionados, this place is a gold mine for clothes rife with fun patterns, capturing the spirit of Carrie’s style. I caught a pair of striped, pink Isabel Marant capris (one pair of a variety of capris you can find) and a floral Alice and Olivia top in just the first five minutes. Also spotted were classic 2000s Jimmy Choo pumps, DKNY kitten heels, classic Prada loafers, and Coach’s Signature Jacquard flats. Perhaps the most magnetic aspect to Carrie’s style is the fact that she refuses to be pigeon-holed into one aesthetic, which in an increasingly curated and digitally-defined world, is refreshing and inspiring. Cure Thrift certainly caters to that vision, with pieces that appear straight out of a 1950s farmland saddled up next to 2010s ruched bodycon dresses. If you’re looking to play with fashion, this East Village spot is a perfect starting point of experimentation.
Les Miss
Les Miss, found at 283 Mott Street, advertises their clothes as “vintage treasures,” and they couldn’t be more correct. Their Nolita Flagship store is like walking into a den of girlhood dreams. Blasting musicians like Lucy Dacus and Conan Gray, the Les Miss is decked out with Persian rugs and colorful decor. The purple-walled store features pieces dripping with lace, fringe, and color, with the traditional floral patterns associated with the 2000s era. Much of Carrie’s clothes hang delicately off the body. For example, her one-shouldered, breezy floral top in Season 3 Episode 8, or the iconic pink off-the-shoulder dress she wears in Season 3 Episode 18, from Richard Tyler’s “Resort 2001” collection. If you’re looking to emulate that liquid, chicly-disheveled air, look no further than Les Miss, with its variety of 2000s polyester dresses that ruffle just-so. Les Miss also offers vintage Harley Davidson and band tanks for those who want to capture that unexpected edgy element to Carrie’s style. Slightly more economical than the previous stores on this list, Les Miss sells some of their own clothing in addition to its vintage pieces, and offers their own charm bar and other knick-knacks.
Seven Wonders Collective
On the Lower East Side, you can stroll through Chinatown to stumble upon Seven Wonders Collective at 319 Grand Street. One of their three locations, the store boasts a large collection of colorful archival pieces provided by curators from all over the city. Fashion lovers will be awed by vintage items dating as far back as the 1880s, with several pieces of attire ranging from the 1950s to the early 2000s, including brands like Missoni and patterned Dolce and Gabbana from the 90s. Among their phantasmagoria, you can find classic ruched and patterned 2000s tops and skirts from brands like Marc Jacobs and Tracy Reese. The shop also offers iconic 90s and 2000s brands like Express, Juicy Couture, Betsey Johnson and Fiorucci, whose tops capture the occasional angst Carrie injects into her looks. Perhaps most notable, however, is their shoe collection: when I was there, I noticed vintage leopard print Bottega Veneta pumps, Fendi stilettos, Prada buckled heels, and Moschino blue-plaid, bow-topped kitten heels. A DKNY newspaper shirt echoed the John Galliano newspaper dress worn in Season 3 Episode 18. Designed for Dior, the dress has become an iconic symbol of Carrie’s style. The variety of vendors working with the Seven Wonders Collective gives a fashion fiend a plethora of choices and visions to work from, providing you with the tools to create a dashing Carrie-inspired ensemble.
No Standing NYC
If you’re looking to invest in some high-quality, luxury vintage garments, look no further than No Standing NYC, located at 65 West Hudson Street in Soho. Though the priciest store on this list, No Standing offers a selection of diverse attire for the Carrie girlies. One example is the Issey Miyake purple cotton top I spotted in the store. Its long sleeves and unhemmed finish screamed Carrie’s more casual outfits, while the Cavalli ruched purple top one hanger away was reminiscent of Carrie’s going-out looks in the earlier seasons. Their Dolce and Gabbana capris reminded me of the tie-dye pair Carrie dons in Season 3 Episode 15, in one of her more unforgettable, over-the-top looks. Other brands that made appearances at this high-fashion heaven-on-earth included Etro, Valentino, Missoni, and Gucci. In addition to several dresses Carrie might wear out on the town, gossiping with friends, or ruining a marriage, there were also several accessories worth noting. We shouldn’t forget that it was Carrie that popularized the Fendi Baguette Bag, a classic that has been making a resurgence as more Gen-Zers discover her style. No Standing displays two decked-out walls of Dior, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Balenciaga bags from which to pick your next staple, in addition to Jimmy Choo and Valentino pumps. The sleek floors and steady background of Sky Ferreira and Chappel Roan are a perfect ambience for your next spending spree.
Kira Manelski 
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