what the what

Carrie Is a Pigeon Lady Now

Photo: Gotham/GC Images

Fashion month may have finally come to an end this week, but we’ve already got a different sort of street style to look forward to: Carrie Bradshaw and the girls are back. Yes, And Just Like That… is filming again in New York. (And yes, HBO renewed that messy, messy show for a second season.) On Wednesday, Sarah Jessica Parker stepped out in yet another head-turning outfit, this one accessorized with what looks like an actual, real-life pigeon. Is it a bird? A plane? No, it’s a 3-D-printed clutch by JW Anderson that costs $890.

Pigeons are not exactly the most elegant creatures, at least not in New York. Sure, they perch outside luxury stores and perhaps occasionally leave their mark on them. But I think it’s safe to say that on a scale of one to swan, they are gross. Such proximity to a real one would likely make Charlotte faint on sight. But the purpose of fashion is to expand our minds and challenge convention, so here we are. In an interview with GQ, designer Jonathan Anderson told writer Rachel Tashjian that he was amused by conspiracy theories going viral on TikTok at the time arguing that birds aren’t real. (Aw, remember that?) The bags could ironically serve as proof. But pigeons, he added, are also mainstays of metropolitan life. They’re practically the mascots of New York. (Don’t tell rats.) “Really, the most successful bird!” he said.

Birds in general play a role in the Sex and the City plot. Who could forget that horrible bedazzled Judith Leiber swan bag that Mr. Big gave Carrie instead of saying, “I love you”? Maybe the pigeon bag is a cheeky nod to his memory. (My bet is that she even names it after him.) It’s hollow inside, allowing you to store a few credit cards and hair ties. But because it’s so small, SPJ also wore a miniature Fendi baguette bag on her ankle — a look that was fresh off the New York runway. Plus, she had some big pockets on her flight suit, which is an upcycled vintage piece by Converted Closet.

The JW Anderson pigeon is currently sold out everywhere online, so you’ll have to put yourself on the wait list if you want it. Or you could go for this $3,390 Thom Browne “rat bag” instead. (Pigeons are the the rats of the sky, after all.)

Carrie Is a Pigeon Lady Now