Podcast Summary: "Do the Clothes Make the Man?"

Are You A Charlotte? — iHeartPodcasts
Host: Kristin Davis
Guest: Molly Rogers (Costume Designer)
Date: December 22, 2025

Overview

This episode dives deep into Season 3 of Sex and the City, focusing on the pivotal role of fashion in both the show and its cultural impact. Kristin Davis (Charlotte York) is joined by legendary costume designer Molly Rogers to reminisce about memorable wardrobe choices, behind-the-scenes dynamics, personal anecdotes, and how fashion choices became part of the series' DNA. The conversation is candid, humorous, and insightful, offering fans a rare look at both the creative process and the pressures behind iconic looks.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fashion as a Storyteller in Sex and the City

• Transformative Moment: Season 3 marks a turning point for the show’s fashion, where industry respect and designer relationships flourished.
  • "Season three was when we started going into stores and people were like, oh, yeah, I know that show. Definitely really starting to borrow." (Molly Rogers, 04:43)
• Personalization: Kristin discusses evolving her own relationships with designers, learning from Sarah Jessica Parker, and finding styles uniquely suited to her character and body:
  • "That was when I started trying to find, you know, who I liked number one, who. Who fit me number two, and then trying to kind of develop those relationships…" (Kristin, 05:24)
• Attention to Detail: Molly is lauded for her meticulousness, from buttons to ribbons, and reworking vintage and off-the-rack pieces for the characters.
  • "Molly has an obsession with buttons, you guys…she has, like, a column where, like, buttons...Molly will go and she will find all these ribbons and bring the ribbons back and make earrings out of them for you." (Kristin, 08:02)

2. Pressure, Paparazzi, and the Critique of On-Screen Fashion

• Outfits Out of Context: The cast and crew often struggle with the public’s snap judgments, particularly from paparazzi shots that lack narrative context.
  • "You're seeing these outfits out of context…[but] the costumes are supposed to tell a story. They're not just supposed to be great standalone outfits necessarily." (Kristin, 10:12)
• Social Media Scrutiny: The acceleration of critique in the Instagram/TikTok era is daunting, sometimes even altering actors’ willingness to attend events.
  • "It's scary, right? Am I going to be picked apart if I don't wear a couture gown?...So I didn’t go." (Kristin, 12:43)

3. The Complication of Choice: Who Picks the Clothes?

• Marketing vs. Character: Sometimes marketing departments or external stakeholders override designers’ original costume choices, leading to incongruent looks.
  • "That shoe. If you want a bang and a punch for a commercial...Was it character related? No." (Molly, 13:44)
  • "This is really important because everyone wants to blame the costume designer and it's so not fair because there are so many players..." (Kristin, 14:36)

4. Enduring Looks & Their Stories

• Iconic Furs & Shearlings: The origin stories of various coats, especially Charlotte’s pink shearling (a compromise after refusing a chinchilla cape) and Carrie’s "vintage" muskrat coat.
  • "There was a chinchilla cape… I had nightmares that the chinchillas came alive and were crawling all over me." (Kristin, 26:05)
  • "We did not find out that it unzipped into a short jacket until the third year." (Molly, 28:40)
• Samantha’s Fur & Nicole Miller Dress: Kim Cattrall’s unique preparation for a firehouse scene, including taping her ankles to slide down a fireman’s pole easier—details only noticed if you look closely.
  • "Kim insisted on taping her ankles in white gauze so she could slide down the pole easier. And if you watch that episode, you see it." (Molly, 30:47)
• Flowers and Accessories: The birth of Carrie’s iconic flowers, sourced from a fancy New York shop on Sarah Jessica’s inspiration, as well as bold, chunky jewelry that flouted TV conventions.
  • "Sarah Jessica came in that season and said, I'm into flowers... someone went to the fancy, fancy flower place on 14th street and just got boxes of them." (Molly, 32:13)
  • "Pat loved trinkets like that. She loved a horseshoe. She loved an apple. She loved a heart. Like that, to me, is so eye catching." (Molly, 61:25)

5. Men’s Fashion — Fashioning Aiden & Big

• John Corbett (Aiden): Some of his wardrobe (reservation jewelry, double denim) reflected his personal style, sometimes requiring compromise between actor and designer.
  • "His reservation jewelry was a big talking point. I remember hated it. But in order to get him to wear some of the shirts…she had to compromise." (Molly, 37:41)
  • "He is so 1 million percent the anti Big. That is true. Powerful. Right. And the jewelry kind of takes it further." (Kristin, 39:37)
• Men’s Tailoring Debate: Discussion of "ill-fitting" suits as intentional choices to communicate character (Aiden as anti-fashion, Big with chocolate brown suits).
  • "There were big discussions about this guy doesn't alter his clothes…he didn't go into the store and say [get tailoring]." (Molly, 40:40)
  • "Pat loves chocolate suits. And they're so hard to find. Or they were then. And whenever she saw one, she was like. Like, somebody's wearing that." (Molly, 41:29)

6. Iconic Dresses, Weddings, and “Too Many Cooks”

• Revisiting Milestone Outfits: Kristin and Molly reminisce about favorite and infamous dresses—like the Cavalli handkerchief top and the wrap Mugler/Donna Karan halters.
  • "I brought this because I was gonna wear it... But this is a Cavalli. It's like so of the time, right? It's so cute, isn't it?" (Kristin, 23:07)
• Charlotte’s Wedding (and Bridesmaids Drama): The Vera Wang dress, multiple fittings, Polaroid archives, and debate over bridesmaids’ color (and which designer made which dress)—with a lighthearted nod to overblown media coverage.
  • "What I remember about this is that there was some debate about whether or not everyone would be wearing matching bridesmaids dresses, and did they have to be this color? Because certain people did not want to." (Kristin, 56:01)
• Personal Mementos: Kristin shares she keeps certain iconic dresses and accessories, revealing the deep connection the cast has to their characters' clothes.

7. Body Image and Pressures of the Early 2000s

• Paparazzi & Body Shaming: Kristin recounts blunt, sometimes cruel encounters with paparazzi and the general public regarding her appearance—a reflection of the era’s toxic beauty standards.
  • "The paparazzi are there... and this woman paparazzi says to me, ‘well, you don't play Candace because you're not thin enough.’" (Kristin, 65:22)
  • "I go up to the counter to get the M&Ms, and this girl behind the counter says, ‘Oh, I can't sell you these. You shouldn't be eating these.’" (Kristin, 67:01)
• Show’s Legacy and Cultural Shifts: There’s reflection on how far things have come, but also acknowledgment of how grueling the public scrutiny was for women in media at the time, especially around body image and fashion.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the power of costume design:
  • "You bring the level of detail of each button...Trim, ribbon, tassels, buttons. She has like a column in the fitting room…" — Kristin (08:02)
• Fashion criticism out of context:
  • "You're seeing these outfits out of context…The costumes are supposed to tell a story. They're not just supposed to be great standalone outfits necessarily." — Kristin (10:12)
• On social media and fear of being critiqued:
  • "It's scary, right? Am I going to be picked apart if I don't wear a couture gown from the Runway? ...so I didn't go." — Kristin (12:43)
• On John Corbett’s Aiden:
  • "His reservation jewelry was a big talking point...In hindsight, that was a mist. You know, in my opinion, I don't think he needed jewelry like that." — Molly (37:41)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:51] — Molly Rogers Introduced, Season 3 Fashion Discussion Begins
• [05:23] — Kristin on building personalized designer relationships for Charlotte
• [08:02] — Praise for Molly’s eye for detail and stories of reconstructing outfits
• [10:12] — Problems with public criticism, paparazzi, and context-free fashion
• [14:36] — Disputes between marketing, directors, actors, and costume designers over final choices
• [23:07] — Cavalli handkerchief top and rooftop cookout anecdotes
• [26:05] — The infamous chinchilla cape and Charlotte’s pink shearlings
• [28:40] — Discovery of Carrie’s fur coat as detachable
• [30:47] — Kim Cattrall’s firehouse scene: ankles taped for pole sliding
• [32:13] — Sarah Jessica Parker’s “flower period”—trend origins
• [37:41] — John Corbett (Aiden), his jewelry, and double-denim debated
• [54:55] — Inside scoop on bridesmaids’ dress and Charlotte’s wedding drama
• [65:22] — Kristin recounts paparazzi body-shaming, pressures of the time

Tone and Language

The episode is candid, friendly, and sprinkled with industry humor. Both Kristin and Molly speak frankly yet affectionately about each other, collaborators, and the industry pressures, always with a note of optimism and nostalgia. There’s a confessional, almost slumber-party vibe to their shared stories, resonating especially with fans interested in fashion, TV production, and the women's experience in media.

Conclusion

This episode is a must-listen (or read!) for fans who want a blend of nostalgia, insider know-how, and reflections on both the triumphs and challenges of making Sex and the City’s costumes so iconic. Kristin and Molly’s rapport offers both entertainment and genuine insight, inviting listeners to appreciate that behind every memorable TV outfit are dozens of stories—of art, compromise, and sometimes, a little bit of drama.