And just like that, the Sex and the City reboot fails women over 40

And Just like that … the wardrobe department lost the plot.

From the shots I’ve seen on my Instagram feed about the impending first instalment in a new 10-episode series of the insanely successful Sex and the City franchise (December 9, Foxtel and Binge), the show has morphed from the sartorial icon I devoured for decades – on repeat – into a silly costume drama. And unfortunately, the now 50-something characters and the actors who play them in And Just Like That … will bear the brunt of the bad choices made for them by those whose job it was to nail their style.

Yes, the series always pushed the fashion envelope, especially on Sarah Jessica Parker’s character, Carrie. But it was real, and Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte always looked like actual human beings, albeit ones with great Manhattan panache. Alas, from what I’ve seen thus far, the new series appears to be tone-deaf on what women over 40 really wear and genuinely find inspiring.

I want to be clear: this is not a criticism of the actors who have returned for this new series. Sarah Jessica Parker, 56, Cynthia Nixon, 55, and Kristin Davis, 56, are all still fabulous – and kudos to SJP for calling out the online trolling about grey hair and wrinkles on the one hand, and cosmetic surgery on the other, in an interview with US Vogue. You can’t win.

But as someone heading towards 50 myself, I want to be inspired by what this much-loved trio wear, just like I was back in 1998 when the show began, and again in 2008 when the first film spin-off was released. Carrie’s Dior newspaper slip dress; the Richard Tyler floral that ended up in a Central Park pond; the Alaia equestrian look; the summer cowgirl outfit. That black lace dress and those pink Christian Louboutin heels; the striped Sonia Rykiel jumper.

Even the $5 tulle skirt and pink tank, which weren’t for me, were effortlessly cool. Charlotte’s Park Avenue princess wardrobe, Samantha’s power jackets, Miranda’s lawyer looks – they all made my heart race. (Yes, I was a fan.)

All this made the show’s costume designer, Patricia Field, a celebrity in her own right, someone profiled and lauded for her deft touch the world over. Field isn’t back for this latest outing, however, where the fashion credits go to her protégée Molly Rogers and co-costume designer Danny Santiago.

“It’s actually a total mockery of style full stop, let alone women over 50 looking like sad jokes playing dress-up.”

That title goes to the heart of it for me: what I’m seeing right now are costumes. Carrie looks so silly in all that volume and all those layers: hats, feathers, bags, belts and coats. That shot of her in what looks like the Joker’s suit – which appeared on social media close to Halloween – looked just like a Halloween costume.