Sex and the Sand

Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha are back in Sex and the City 2, a romp through the Middle East where the girls, in Patty Fields' words, are a 'little older... and a little richer.' This translates into bright colors, sequins- and a delightful opening sequence where we see them in their far less glamourous 80's days.

Where the first SATC still had it's feet firmly planted in reality, albeit a designer one of fantastic proportions, this movie steps off the ledge into a world where a recession means settling for the coach seats instead of first-class (a prospect that sends menopausal Samantha into genuine hysterics).

Charlotte bakes cupcakes with her daughters in vintage Valentino, Carrie lounges around the house in high heels and tee shirts, and Miranda is chicly understated in both cocktail and maxi dresses, having traded in her pantsuits for a much more refined look.

But Samantha's wardrobe is the star of this movie, showing off a body even a 20-year-old would envy in sparkling minidresses, cutouts, and capes to cover herself up in the Middle East.


A major subplot is her age-appropriateness and obsession with showing skin, but I find her commitment to her style choices refreshing. (And I also was surprised by the comparison of her to Miley Cyrus on the red carpet; if anyone looked inappropriate in the miniskirt and thigh-high boots, it was the not-quite-18 former Hannah Montana.)

Their trip to one of the faces of the 'New Middle East,' Abu Dhabi, inspired a fashion free for all: I'm talking harem jumpsuits, headscarves, Birkin bags, metallic bathing suits, and up-to-THERE slits. Charlotte even needed assistance when she couldn't walk in her heels across the sand.

The girls let loose during karaoke in Abu Dhabi.

The only tarnish to the fashion, which purposely bordered garish at times, was that excessive indulgence is a little hard to swallow in a time where people are starving all over the world, and especially in parts of the 'old' Middle East which remain impoverished. But I think that's always been part of SATC's charm, even on television; the fantasy it presented.

To read reviews, click here, here, here, and here.