“If a fabulous watch catches your eye, why hold back”
Known for her stilettos, rollercoaster relationships and bitchy gossip, Sarah Jessica Parker, alias Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, became the favourite fiancée of New York’s in crowd. Who could forget the successful writer with a passion for fashion, and fabulous watches?
People see you as a fashion icon. Do you feel pressured into wearing original, one-of-a-kind outfits every day?
Not really. There is a practical side to my life. I’m a mom, meaning I don’t dress like this every day. Only when the occasion or the event lends itself, like today. This said, I understand why people associate me with fashion. Personally, that’s not how I see myself but I have to admit that sometimes there’s no longer anything to separate me from my character, Carrie, and at those times I have to think carefully about what fans expect me to wear. That’s when I feel very fortunate, as famous brands lend me magnificent dresses to wear in public. But my life isn’t like Carrie’s.
It's rumoured you have 600 pairs of shoes in your wardrobe…
Six hundred? [laughs]. You’re joking! I don’t think I even have a hundred!
Still, Sarah Jessica Parker's wardrobe must be quite something!
You’d be surprised! I have a tiny wardrobe, the size of two toilets. Not even that! But it’s true, however organised I try to be, I’m submerged by clothes. I keep everything, meaning I recently had to rent a kind of mini warehouse in my building. I use it to store the coats, shoes and accessories I’ve picked up over the years, on different sets.
You're also rumoured to own dozens of watches…
Again, something of an overstatement! [laughs]. To begin with, anyone who appreciates watches doesn’t call them that. We call them “timepieces”, a much nicer name. Thinking about it, it’s been years since I bought myself a watch or had one given…
Of all your watches, is there one that matters more than the others?
There is one that counts a lot in my eyes. It has a very special place in my heart because it was the first one ever given to me.
How long ago was that?
I was eight years old. It was given to me by a store in Cincinnati, called Shillito’s. They gave my sister the same one. It’s a square Timex, gold-coloured, inside a white box with a fake gold-plated cover. It can’t have cost more than $10!
Do you still have it?
Yes, and after all these years, it’s exactly the same. I haven’t even changed the strap, which believe it or not still fastens!
Why this watch more than another?
It means a lot to me because it reminds me of another era. It’s still the most important item in my jewellery box. In fact I love it so much, I very rarely wear it. I’m afraid I might damage it or that the metal might lose its shine. There was a time when I was a huge admirer of luxury watches, then telephones became part of our lives, and now my first reflex when I want to check the time is to pull out my Blackberry.
If a fabulous watch catches your eye and you have the means to buy it, why hold back.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Some luxury watches come with a big price tag attached. Did you feel guilty the first time you spent a, let's say, unreasonable amount on a "timepiece"?
No, because I’ve always had a very clear idea about what money means. I grew up in a poor family of eight children. I know what “doing without” means. I can still see my mother telling us, “sorry kids, it’s either Christmas or birthdays this year, but not both.” Even though we promised we didn’t care, deep down we felt frustrated, disappointed. Especially after we became teenagers, when you want to be out shopping and spending cash. When you’re maybe 14 or 15, it’s hard seeing your friends showing off in brand new Sassoon jeans when you’re still wearing your big sisters’ worn-out tartan skirts. But you know, with hindsight, I realise it helped me understand something important. When you’re from a poor family, the fact you aren’t “corrupted” by purely materialistic impulses allows you to focus on what really matters. On the other hand, you have to treat yourself sometimes! If a fabulous watch catches your eye and you have the means to buy it, why hold back. You know, frustration is bad for the health!
