That night I got to thinking… why doesn’t Carrie Bradshaw ever have a manicure?
Okay, tell a lie, it’s very possible most people haven’t spent nights wondering about the cuticles on Carrie, but as soon as actress Sarah Jessica Parker revealed her fashion-forward heroine eschews nail care, we couldn’t help but wonder why?
It’s certainly out of character for the always glamorous Sex and the City/And Just Like That protagonist, whose best looks over the years have included everything from casual daytime tutus to putting a bird in her head.
Sticking with birds, fans were divided when the first look of the new season dropped and Carrie appeared to be carrying a pigeon in place of a purse. Alas, it was indeed, a JW Anderson original.
She loves taking a big swing with her aesthetics so you’d think someone who’s inspired plenty of women to dress like her and take a bold step away from following the pack would be all over things like mermaid nails or milk nails.
SJP revealed the – surprisingly practical – reason why we’ve not seen Carrie go for a mani (yet…).
“Carrie's a writer,” the actress told Glamour in an interview published June 21, “so she would have been typing originally on a proper typewriter. She would have learned typing in high school, and she was a practical writer and a necessary writer and a romantic writer.”
“It just never seemed that it was where Carrie would spend her time expressing herself.”
Makes sense. But Carrie Bradshaw typing on a typewriter? Not quite sure those timelines align – not to disagree with the queen of cosmopolitans herself.
Which could explain the other reason Carrie doesn’t do her nails – filming.
“We also don't shoot in order," Sarah Jessica added, referring to possible continuity errors. “You're moving from scene to scene, so practically speaking, it's problematic to have a nail color that's got to match every single scene. It gets in the way of speed and economy.”
Much more believable.
However, if you’re personally a big lover of all things nails and always looking for inspiration for the perfect mani, you’re in luck.
Despite all the revelations to the contrary, SJP and showrunner Michael Patrick King revealed Carrie will show off a surprisingly bold manicure later in the second season.
Speaking of the scene, Michael said, “I thought, 'Wow, she's wearing nail polish!' And it's a dark nail polish, which is interesting and surprising.”
He noted this particular instance takes place in Brooklyn and is quite noticeable since Carrie is “holding the tiniest purse she's ever held.”
“Carrie Bradshaw is spontaneous. She decides, 'I'm going to wear this or that. I'm going to wear this long slip tutu to go get coffee. And, oh, maybe I'll put on nail polish tonight.'”
Do we think Carrie will be using a gel manicure alternative to keep those fingers nice and clean for writing?
