The filming for season two of And Just Like That is well and truly underway and as with last season, this year we've already been treated to quite a few spoilers. From returning characters to the costumes, there is already so much we know about the upcoming episodes.
However, one thing we did not realise until recently was that Carrie Bradshaw has a new favourite shoe designer on her list. Yes, it seems the former Manolo Blahnik devotee has officially moved on, as this season Bradshaw seems to be wearing one shoe brand a lot more than others....Enter, Duchessa Gardini.
Carrie Bradshaw wears Duchessa Gardini boots.
The official Instagram account for the costumes of AJLT, @andjustlikethatcostumes, began tagging this new designer in various posts while filming earlier this year.
But here's the real surprise, Duchessa Gardini doesn't actually exist. It's purely a pseudonym for Sarah Jessica Parker's IRL shoe brand SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker. Suprise!
Of the choice to include her shoe's in the series, Sarah Jessica Parker explained to Vogue, "There is no SJP collection in Carrie’s world; I don’t exist there." She continued, "I didn’t want it to look like I was exploiting a business opportunity and HBO either, but as we were approaching my first fitting in May of last year, it became clear that there were still some holes [costume designers] Molly and David wanted to fill in terms of the accessories.”
And so, the fictional brand Duchessa Gardini was born.
"George [SJP's business partner] and I decided to build the shoes that Molly and David needed, but not to use our names. We were thinking of an old Italian house," Parker explained. "If it were any other show, that might not matter, but here the provenance of a shoe matters."
In fact, the cast of AJLT is so committed to the reality of this imagined shoe brand that Duchessa Gardini even has its own Instagram account, chronicling Carrie's looks which include the shoes.
If you are truly inspired, it should come as no surprise that some of the looks are available to buy through SJP's website. Currently, you can get your hands on the pink, bow-adorned pumps above, yet it doesn't seem like any of the shoes from season two are available yet. (Also it's important to note that currently SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker only ships within the US.)
Product inclusions and a starring role? Well played SJP, well played!
