SATC | S1 EP4 | Valley Of The Twenty-Something Guys
Invisible String Theory. Smoking. And a hint of anal sex.
Carrie bumping into Mr Big coincidentally, time and time again (before they both decide to bump into each other, over dinner, on purpose) is giving but an inkling of Invisible String Theory. Perhaps before Invisible String Theory even knew it was Invisible String Theory.
Confused? Don’t be. It’s a spiritual phenomenon that suggests everyone has someone in their lives who is attached to them by an unbreakable, invisible string that transcends time and distance and geography and for Carrie’s sake I’ll throw colossal shoe collections in as a characteristic too. They are and always be present in your life path, even if you haven’t (knowingly) met them yet.
It’s destiny repackaged. The old what will be, will be wrapped in a very gen z bow.
But for someone who’s already met their soulmate with no wacky meet-cute or divine timing to show for it, I wanna know if this cosmic force can be applied to other significant beings in your life. A best mate, a business partner, a mentor? I think yes. The incredibly intuitive and emotional pisces within me says so. But if someone else could please confirm, that would be great.
Wow. Really deeping it this week. Let’s move on to sexier tings.
“As I searched for my morning Marlboro Light, Samantha proceeded to give me a rundown of her night with John. Him on top. Me on top. Me on my side. Me on his face…”
I cannot fathom the taste of tobacco first thing in the morning. (I can get behind the whole ‘me on his face’ situation though.) I totally forgot/refused to acknowledge that smoking would be viewed as a fashion accessory throughout SATC. But it’s the 90s after all. Kate Moss had set the standard.
A lot has happened since then. We ditched slim and snackable cigarettes for colourful and clunky e-alternatives. And, if the rumours are true, the pendulum is swiftly swinging back for summer ‘24. After all, Charlie XCX described the ethos of Brat as “pack of cigs, bic lighter, and a strappy white top with no bra”. Which explains why the internet lit up at the sight of Natalie Portman and Paul Mescal taking a cheeky tobacco break together back in June:
A further scroll of @cigfluencers and you’ll find a slew of ‘HOT PEOPLE keeping the art of SMOKING & BEING COOL alive…’ (Their words, not mine.) Rosalia, Dua Lipa, Ella Purnell, Jeremy Allen White, Bella Hadid, Charles Melton, Greta Lee, need I go on?
I don’t think this is a trend I’ll be leaning too heavily into. Imagine the maintenance: constant hair washing, airing out denim jackets, spritzing a surplus of good perfume, rotting your teeth and your gums and your lungs etc. I wanna be Carrie. But not that badly.
“So I walked. I walked 48 blocks in $400 shoes.”
(The line! The famous line! See, I told you I had some SATC references.)
Either Carrie is lying. Or she’s gatekeeping the most magical pair of heels known to man. Because I walked 68 blocks in $160 flat shoes and will never be doing it, or even thinking about it, again.
Truthfully, it was a pretty relaxed and easy way to explore New York on a late summer’s day. Strolling from Midtown through Chelsea, on to West Village, around Greenwich and Washington Square Park, past Soho and Hudson Yards, to Tribeca and The Financial District, before collapsing in Battery Park.
This took like 3+ hours at which point our tootsies were very tired and we couldn’t be bothered to get on a hot and incredibly crowded ferry to pay Lady Liberty a visit. We waved from afar. Settling for a couple of cocktails at The Dead Rabbit instead. An incredibly warm, welcoming, chic Irish Pub that I haven’t stopped thinking about. Some of the tastiest tipples I’ve ever sipped. The hot chippies with curried aioli were pretty elite too.
Few Aussie transplants in NYC have assured us this was in fact CRAZY. And that, upon our return, we’ll likely never walk the island in such a way. That’s why there’s a subway. Did Carrie forget that fact?
OOTE
An ode to the (many) discussions of anal sex, fucking the ‘regular way’, and orgasms with twenty-something guys, this outfit of the episode is, in fact, no outfit at all.
Here’s an undressed, undone Carrie clocking the pigsty that is Sam’s apartment.
She’s too old for this! She hastily retreats sans coffee! She goes shoe shopping to lift her spirits! Atta girl.
Maddie x