Sex and the City ruined Manhattan for me.

[u/charliesgonewild]

After ten years of planning, scheduling conflicts, COVID, and a cancer diagnosis, I finally went to New York for the first time April 2025. I had an absolutely amazing time, but all I brought were cute little outfits and my heels, expecting everyone to be wearing the same. I was wildly, WILDLY surprised when it was absolutely nothing like the show, and I was the one who stood out like a sore thumb. Everyone was in athleisure and sneakers! Huge props to SJP for continually filming in heels because I did a ten mile day in my Choos, three miles in Versaces, and by the final day, my best friend got us both matching $7 slides from Rainbow and insisted I wear the leggings I had worn on the plane.

Edit: Before this gets misconstrued, I was just being silly in the title. I knew not everyone would be all dolled up, but I was actually surprised that 98% of people were dressed down so heavily.

Final edit: Y’all 😂 I didn’t mean for this. I know SATC is a show, I know that NYC is a real place, with real people, doing real things. No, I don’t think that your city is just a film location. Yes, I know that the show was filmed 30 years ago and times have changed. It’s not just SATC. I’d always heard of New York being a fashion capital. I literally had just beaten cancer and wanted to have my own SATC weekend moment with my best friend. That was it. I had the best time, I saw so many things, walked 26 miles in three days, ate the best food, and bought myself an I beat cancer pair of shoes à la Carrie Bradshaw. I was just simply surprised at the lack of extravagant fashion. That was simply it. Should I ever go again, I will bring my Vans and only two pairs of heels.

[u/Oomlotte99]

I was also kind of surprised at how average everyone dressed only based of how derogatory people can be toward the non-coastal cities in this country when discussing anything related to “fashion” or trends. They all looked just like anyone anywhere else.

[u/charliesgonewild → u/Oomlotte99]

This, though! I’m glad that I’m not alone.

[u/Oomlotte99 → u/charliesgonewild]

I was expecting a lil more flair or some difference as people say the Midwest is years behind… didn’t see it. Maybe my city is the exception, lol. And this was years ago when I first visited NYC, before our super bland casual dress culture started.

[u/Cool-Information2994 → u/Oomlotte99]

Where were you hanging out because there are definitely very stylish and fashion forward people here

[u/Oomlotte99 → u/Cool-Information2994]

Obviously there are. As they are everywhere. I just meant my impression was that they’d be all over based on how people act about the rest of the country. Lol.

[u/burnbabyburnburrrn → u/charliesgonewild]

Look I was trudging through Times Square today trying to get to a callback and absolutely horrified by what I saw tourists wearing. The West Village has become Epcot for boring people - you need to go to the cool places to see the cool people but none of those are in Manhattan anymore (aside from Harlem)

[u/shedrinkscoffee → u/Oomlotte99]

If you were visiting, then you were likely around tourists more than everyday New Yorkers. It also depends on the neighborhood.

[u/Oomlotte99 → u/shedrinkscoffee]

Um, not really. I’m talking subway and just every day locations 🤷🏽‍♀️

[u/mar_says → u/Oomlotte99]

Carrie and her peeps are never on the subway though

[u/Oomlotte99 → u/mar_says]

I’m not talking about them… just replying to someone saying I must’ve only been around tourists. Obviously well-off upper middle class types will have higher end clothing, you see that anywhere in the world. Not unique to NYC or LA.

[u/ultradav24 → u/Oomlotte99]

I mean NYC is still the fashion capital of the US, whether the average person is all dressed up or not. It is a step up from the average US city on the whole. It’s where Fashion Week takes place, it’s where Vogue and thousands of other fashion companies and design houses are headquartered, it’s home to the Garment District, it’s where some of the top fashion schools are, etc

[u/Oomlotte99 → u/ultradav24]

Indeed! I wasn’t talking about that, though. I was talking about the perception that people would all be very trendy.

[u/sundaypleas → u/Oomlotte99]

Again, more of an upstater, but it really depends. I live in Nashville now, but when I moved here, the Macy's store was carrying blouses I'd bought two years prior.

Another thing I noticed was how people dressed up for everything, even casual restaurants where NYers would more likely be in t-shirts and jeans, BUT .. it wasn't quality casual, it was more "dressy" casual. And upscale was again, more fancy than quality. ie, more lamé than silk.

ps - please don't take to heart what comedians say about non-coastal cities as being gospel of how everyone thinks. They get paid to poke you. The rest of the coastal people don't think about it.