Catey Hill, the author of "Shoo, Jimmy Choo! The Modern Girl's Guide to Spending Less and Saving More" and the money editor of the New York Daily News online, speculates that the designer allure crept up on women and says the financial pain came later.
"The show had a huge influence because it made all these designer brands -- like Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, Louis Vuitton -- household names. After watching the show, they became must-have items."
And yet, "you didn't really know why you suddenly wanted something -- the way everyone suddenly had to have 7 (brand) jeans or expensive handbags."
Hill admits that when she moved to New York, long after the TV show's last season, its influence still lingered. "I got an apartment in swanky Chelsea, went out to the coolest restaurants, bought shoes I couldn't afford on my credit card and had no savings to speak of -- other than the $20 emergency bill I stashed in my purse in case I had to hop a taxi in a hurry."
At one point Hill shelled out about $400 for a pair of Jimmy Choos. "They hurt my feet," she says.
Perhaps, for some women, the show tapped into that wannabe Cinderella side some of us still secretly harbor. We donned the heels hoping to get the prince and only later were forced to cope with the painful financial realities that befell us.
Adding to the illusion
Not surprisingly, the new "SATC" film continues its disconnect between women and their money.One interview I read quoted someone involved in the film as saying that creating an over-the-top fantasy -- in Dubai, of all places -- was deliberate. Just as Hollywood films during the Depression and World War II were sometimes set in exotic locales, "SATC 2" would be a wild and crazy vacation for women otherwise stuck at home, worried about their jobs and houses and health insurance.
OK, sure, I'll buy that -- especially as a cheap matinee.
But this time, let's all just enjoy the adventures of Carrie and crew for the wonderful fun and friendship they embody -- while keeping the financial aspect of their lives in perspective. And for anyone still nursing an "SATC" hangover, I have a few books you can read.
Published June 15, 2010
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