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Sep 16, 2023

Sarah Jessica Parker Gives a Simple Outfit an Edge With Statement Mary Janes

By Emma Spedding Sarah Jessica Parker’s personal style often overlaps with that

By Emma Spedding

Sarah Jessica Parker's personal style often overlaps with that of her alter ego Carrie Bradshaw – unsurprising given it's a character she's played on and off since 1998. One of Carrie's fashion obsessions was black patent Mary Jane shoes, and this week at an event in New York the actor used just that style of shoe to add an edge to an otherwise everyday look of cropped jeans and a casual knit.

One memorable scene in season four of Sex and the City finds Carrie exploring the fashion cupboard at Vogue, where she happens upon a pair of Manolo Blahnik Mary Janes (the Campari) she’d thought were an "urban shoe myth". Those stiletto Mary Janes had just one classic strap across the foot, however SJP's latest pair have a bolder design, with three straps going up the ankle.

Sarah Jessica Parker was a keynote speaker at the US 2023 Book Show in New York on Wednesday, dressing for the occasion in cropped blue jeans with turn-ups and a grey V-neck jumper with ruched detailing. She used a brooch (another Carrie signature) to add some more personality to this otherwise simple ensemble.

Mary Janes have enjoyed a revival over the past year, with brands like The Row, Le Monde Beryl, Prada, Nodaleto and Miu Miu making these girlish pumps a firm celebrity and fashion editor favourite. Zoë Kravitz and Jennifer Lawrence both love The Row's Ava leather flat pumps, which have a buckled strap, while Alexa Chung wore a pair of chunky heeled Mary Janes by Prada to the Fashion Awards in 2022.

We are about to see a lot more of Sarah Jessica Parker (and Ms Bradshaw) as the second season of And Just Like That will hit screens in June.