Now that the episode with the hat has aired, the buzz over the look has only grown. Viewers were confused and amused, some calling it “traumatizing” and others applauding its audacity. Curiously, the scene does not acknowledge the dramatic hat for what it is, not from Carrie’s friend Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury), passers-by on the street, or even New York’s famously candid cabbies. While Seema remarks on Carrie’s certainty with her Aidan Shaw (John Corbett) relationship — the fashion statement is lost in the story.

The Designers Behind the Look
Carrie Bradshaw's fashion has never been shy, and many fans and fashion critics agree that this hat from Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) just might be her wildest accessory of all time. Lauren Garroni and Chelsea Fairless, who run a fashion-focused podcast and social media account, say the choice borders on performance art and wrack their brains about the thought process behind the costume. It may not be trend-inspired but instead, a playful mash-up that hearkens to characters like Holly Hobbie or other nods to vintage motifs, Garroni says.

The hat, called “Head in the Clouds,” is a €450 (£379) design by artist Maryam Keyhani. Billed as “only for the brave and sensitive” on her website, Keyhani said she was honored to see it appear on the program. She lauded Carrie’s rebellion against conventional norms and emphasized that women should feel free to dress as they like, particularly in their later years. The idea, she said, is embracing their own inner world and personal style.

Carrie’s New Direction and Style Development
The show’s costume designers, Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago, built Carrie’s new look in tandem with her developing story arc. In season three, Carrie changes her vocation from writing sex memoirs to historical romance — or “romantasy,” as her editor calls it. This new creative direction, as well as extended stays at Aidan’s rustic farmhouse in Virginia, informs her wardrobe. In later episodes, Carrie appears in prairie-style dresses, what she calls her “Little House On The Carrie” phase.

Rogers added that Keyhani, the designer of the hat, had been on their radar for some time, the two closely collaborating to integrate her pieces into the series. Sarah Jessica Parker was really into the hat, insisting it should be included in the scene. ”Maybe if I wear it, I can be like you’ She said that when she saw it, she just had to wear it and added, “Who wouldn’t want that on their head?”

Coincidentally, this wasn’t the first time the show had an argument about hats. A hat that Parker had favorite was banned from the first season finale on the grounds that it would cover her face too much. That choice led the showrunner to a playful nickname: “hat killer.” But this time, the showy gingham bonnet got a full pass, becoming a moment in the series’ fashion history that will kick off no shortage of discussions.