27 Years Ago, Carrie Bradshaw Pioneered Balletcore With Her Most Iconic Look

The truth is, not everyone wants to be Carrie Bradshaw. She was particularly skilled at finding toxic men (Big? Berger? Petrovsky?!), she wasn’t always a great friend, and based on her horrible budgeting habits, she should’ve been in financial ruin. And yet... everyone wants to dress like Carrie Bradshaw — at least, the chicest style stars do.

When celebs like Emily Ratajkowski aren’t paying homage to the fictional columnist’s looks, they’re pulling from the fashion archives to rewear her exact pieces. Just last week on May 13, for example, Jenna Ortega wore not one, but two of Carrie’s iconic numbers in one night. Even mere mortals who don’t have access to stylists scramble to find Carrie’s pieces in the wild. With And Just Like That...’s third season dropping on May 29, there’s no better time to lean into Carrie cosplay. And the best look to recreate, however, will always be her most iconic: her opening credits outfit. Fortunately, it just got a whole lot easier to step into.

Carrie’s Iconic Balletcore Look

In 1998, when SATC was first released, the world was entranced by Sarah Jessica Parker’s protagonist who dated around for work (she once called herself a “social anthropologist”) and her now-iconic wardrobe, curated and styled by Patricia Field. No look, however, was more synonymous with her character than the ’fit she wore for the opening credits.

In it, she wore a pink tank top, a basic choice given Carrie’s maximalist tendencies, and a tiered frothy white tutu. The ballerina-inspired ensemble started the first wave of balletcore, decades before it would blow up on TikTok. In recent years, for example, demand for ballet flats soared, while ballerina pink was dubbed the color trend for summer 2025. Carrie’s look, in particular, spawned several copycat ’fits. While Field had already sold Carrie’s tutu, there’s one part of her outfit now up for grabs: her Jimmy Choo shoes.

You Can Shop Her Shoes

To celebrate its upcoming 30th anniversary in 2026, the shoe brand released eight archival styles from its first five years, including the Leo, the leopard print ankle strap sandal Carrie wore in the opening credits. It’s now available to shop online for $895 for anyone hoping to recreate the look.

There’s Another Carrie Heel

In the same eight-piece collection, Choo revived another Carrie classic. In Season 3, Episode 1, Carrie attends a benefit party for the FDNY in Staten Island. As she tries to catch the ferry on the way home, her shoe slips, and she says the now iconic line, “I lost my Choo!” Thankfully, she gets a ride, a date, and keeps her footwear — a feathery lilac heel now also available to shop for $995.

And just like that I’m adding to cart.