It’s an image that would undoubtedly surprise even the iconic Carrie Bradshaw.
For years, Sarah Jessica Parker embodied the role of the ultimate style maven in “Sex and the City,” where her love for Manolo Blahniks occasionally led to financial pitfalls.
However, Parker’s real-life priorities tell a different story.
On Wednesday, the 61-year-old actress marked the launch of a budget-friendly fashion store in New York City. Alongside her friend Andy Cohen, she browsed through racks of affordable sweatshirts.
The pair were part of a star-studded gathering celebrating the opening of Primark’s latest location in New York City, which is set to officially welcome shoppers on May 8th.
This appearance follows another bold move by Parker, as she notably opted out of attending the Met Gala.
Sarah Jessica Parker celebrated the launch of budget fast fashion retailer Primark with pal Andy Cohen in New York City on Wednesday
It’s a store Carrie Bradshaw probably wouldn’t have given a second thought
Yet Parker was smiling just as wide at Primark as she has at the Met Gala, mingling with other fashion-forward stars celebrating the arrival of the affordable retailer.
It’s a store that Bradshaw may not have given a second thought, but with clothing priced considerably cheaper than her go-to designer wear, one that would have been a relief to her wallet.
Bradshaw infamously had financial struggles on the show, with her credit card being embarrassingly declined at Dolce & Gabbana.
Her priorities clearly were in her wardrobe.
Carrie’s closet was full of expensive shoes, including red bottom Louboutins, her favorite Manolo Blahniks, and Jimmy Choo heels. In fact, the Vogue writer infamously spent $40,000 on fabulous footwear, which her friend Miranda Hobbes (played by Cynthia Nixon) calculated.
The chic New Yorker also wore enviable designers Christian Dior, Vivienne Westwood and Dolce & Gabbana. At least her clothing withstood the test of time and proves equally popular with Gen Z today, which would make it easy to re-sell now. Her bag brands were just as illustrious, including Fendi, Dior and Louis Vuitton.
Of course, her maxed out credit card money wasn’t just spent on designer duds – she had a stunning apartment, although it was rent stabilized and $750 a month.
Other expenses included exclusively taking cabs, lavish dinners out, regular catch-up brunch on the weekend, and cocktails with her friends, as well as her seemingly endless supply of cigarettes.
Parker, however, is much more sensible when it comes to her own spending habits, even when she was trying to make it as an actress at age 18.
Fashionista Carrie Bradshaw loved Manolo Blahniks and maxed out a credit card funding her designer clothing obsession
However the budget-friendly shop would have been a relief to Bradshaw’s wallet, as she famously was in credit card debt
In real life, Parker has been open about having to budget her way through New York when she first moved to the big city
The new Primark will be opening on May 8
Parker and Cohen perused a rack of trendy clothing
One could only wonder what Bradshaw would have to say about Primark in her column
‘I moved out when I turned 18, I had a little money in the bank from Square Pegs but not a big amount. I knew exactly how much money I had in the bank and I took it out like very judiciously,’ she recently said on the Call Her Daddy podcast.
‘I tried to get by on $40 for three days, because I just didn’t know for sure. I knew I would work, but the investment that 10 auditions for the one job or the 20,’ she said.
Those days of pinching pennies are now behind her after she found smash success as the star of Sex and the City.
The show – which starred Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, and Kim Cattrall – followed the lives of fashionable 30-something year old women living in New York City.
The original show ran from 1998-2004, and a spin-off series, And Just Like That, along with two films followed.
