As someone who’s binge-watched Sex and the City more times than I can count, I’ve learned many a life lesson from Samantha Jones.
For starters, her endorsement of kegel exercises changed my life (IYKYK); When she said, “If I worried what every b*tch in New York was saying about me, I’d never leave the house,” she inspired me to drop my people pleaser ways; And on the sartorial front, she showed me that sometimes, all you need to spice up a seemingly simple top are a pair of faux (or real) nipples.
Between 1998 and 2004 (and the two films that followed), Kim Cattrall’s character imparted endless wisdom, but her take on the free the nip look is one that’s stuck with me the most (pun intended) in terms of fashion.
Samantha’s Perky Pasties
Originally airing on July 1, 2001, Season 4, episode 6 showed the fab four in a crowded bar (nothing new) chatting about Carrie’s latest love life dilemma (also, nothing new): getting Aiden Shaw back (also, also nothing new).
While Miranda and Charlotte suggested emailing him, Samantha went into her croc handbag and pulled out a pair of stick-on nipples, encouraging Carrie to “show up at his furniture store wearing these.”
A few scenes later Samantha tries them out for herself. For a date with a hotshot businessman, Jones donned the faux additions underneath a baby blue knit tank, complete with brown trim and a rhinestone-embellished neckline — a top still worthy of note all these years later.
As soon as the stick-ons crossed his sightline, he was hooked — so much so he immediately hung up his work call and pulled Samantha in for a passionate kiss. While he was... focused on other things... she secretly threw the nipples across the room. They had served their purpose.
Miranda Took Them For A Spin, Too
While Carrie and Charlotte weren’t fans of the nip-forward look, Hobbes was game to try them out for girls’ night. As soon as she added them to her OOTN, Miranda instantly grabbed the attention of everyone in the New York hotspot.
22 Years Later, Kim K Made Her Own
Though “Baby, Talk Is Cheap” aired two decades ago, the free the nip movement has never been more relevant. As Samantha so aptly states: “Nipples are huge right now.”
Almost every fashion it girl has added the NSFW look into their rotation — on the red carpet, fashion week runways, magazine covers, or even the occasional holiday campaign. Kardashian even invented her own build-in nipple bra, a more supportive alternative to Samantha’s pasties.
Samantha Jones walked so Kim Kardashian could run.
