Costume Designer Says No One Told Her ‘And Just Like That’ Was Ending: “Total Blackout”

Avery Sinclair reporting. Can’t wait to see how this turns out.

So here is the tidy little truth: Molly Rogers, the Emmy winning costume designer who dressed Carrie Bradshaw through Sex and the City, the movies, and its recent spinoff And Just Like That, says she was never formally informed that the series was finishing after Season 3. That bit of industry awkwardness came to light when Rogers told The Post that there was a “total blackout” from HBO about the show’s status and that she discovered the finale’s implications the same time the rest of the world did.

Let us file this under “studio silence is an art form.” HBO did not announce that Season 3 would be its last prior to the season premiere. Instead, showrunner Michael Patrick King and star Sarah Jessica Parker used social media to confirm the franchise closure on August 1, just two weeks before the final episode aired. Rogers said she officially found out when the public did, and she seemed oddly okay with that. “Which I’m for,” she told The Post. “I appreciate it.” Translation: no awkward goodbyes in the fitting room and no dramatic shoe selection mourning session in the costume department.

Rogers admits she had a hunch the story was wrapping up when she read the final episode script. She noted multiple subtle narrative cues and confided that she had always imagined Carrie being content alone in the end. The finale validates that reading: Carrie is solo in her apartment, at peace with single life, dancing in a sequined pink top and a long pink tulle skirt. The finale outfit is a wink to the original Sex and the City tutu, only cranberry toned for the Thanksgiving setting. The skirt comes from Molly Goddard, discovered on a London runway, while the sparkly top was reportedly Sarah Jessica Parker’s personal sweater customized by a friend named Lauren Scott. That provenance is specific and neat, and Rogers was happy to share it.

Of course, the season had its costume controversies. The gigantic puffy hat that made social feeds light up with snark and memes drew baffled reactions from fans who felt it was a step too far. Rogers was perplexed by the backlash. After all, she said, the show was always meant to read like a moving fashion magazine, not a documentary. Would viewers really prefer Carrie hiking through Washington Square Park in a practical sun visor eating ice cream? Parker herself discovered and championed the whimsical hat, and Rogers sees it as perfectly on brand for the character.

Rogers’ larger point is that costuming on these shows is an art of discovery. She described the thrill of unearthing a “fashion treasure” and the joy of Parker squealing in the fitting room. She even allowed a little self aware humor about life after SATC, saying she feels spoiled and that everything after this will feel downhill. Then she joked that she might end up working on a prison drama, which is the sort of glib Captain Obvious quip wardrobe people toss out when they are trying to be funny about career pivots.

There is a touch of bittersweet in Rogers’ account. She did not get a formal send off from the producers, but she also avoided having to emotionally choreograph an exit. Her instincts about Carrie’s last scene were right. The final image of Carrie, swaying alone and content in a pink tulle skirt, is a tidy bookend to the character who made eccentric fashion choices into a personality trait. Fans will argue whether this was a satisfying cap to a decades long franchise. Rogers’ insider details about the costume choices add texture to the conversation and confirm that the final look was intentional, sentimental, and meant to echo the show’s sartorial DNA.

So yes, the franchise is done according to public confirmation and creative signals in the finale. Rogers was left in the dark on official notice, but not on artistic intent. She got to pick the shoes and the tutu like everyone else — except nobody sent her a memo that it was goodbye. Color that both funny and a little rude.

And that is the scoop: the costumes were carefully curated, the ending was signaled in the script, and HBO’s silence left a few people learning the news by scrolling socials. Your move, fans.

Final thought: nothing flashy here except the pink tutu, and honestly that is the point.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, HBO Max
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed