Fashion and Fandom: Inside the ‘Sex and the City’ 25th Anniversary Experience

“We realized very early on that we couldn’t cut corners in any way. In order to live up to the premium nature of the series, as well as its cultural importance, we couldn’t cheap out on anything. It was critical that all of the pieces that we were fabricating, all of the merch items that we were creating, everything felt premium. Sticking to our guns and ensuring the utmost quality of every aspect of this was hypercritical.”

–Dana Flax, VP-Originals Marketing, Max

Fashion and Fandom: Inside the ‘Sex and the City’ 25th Anniversary Experience

The experience included exhibition-style installations dedicated to the leading ladies of “Sex and the City.”

Just like fashion trends, TV shows come and go, but throngs of superfans will tell you that “Sex and the City” has never gone out of style. So to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of its iconic series and give back to the fan base, Max (formerly HBO Max) produced a meticulously detailed activation in New York City that dropped attendees directly into a replica of Carrie Bradshaw’s Brownstone apartment. Aligning with the season two premiere of the show’s Max Original spinoff, “And Just Like That…,” the experience appealed to “every shade of fan” and attracted nearly 4,000 of them across the four-day program, hosted June 8-11.

The exhibition-style activation, officially dubbed “And Just Like That…It’s Been 25 Years, A Sex and the City Experience,” was designed to let attendees—which ended up hailing from 19 different countries—see, hear and touch elements of the franchise like never before through a multiroom journey. They could explore installations dedicated to each main character, interact with a Post-it wall (in a popular episode, Carrie is dumped via a Post-it Note) and snap photos on the stoop of Carrie’s Brownstone or at her desk gazing out the window as she “couldn’t help but wonder,” among myriad photo moments. There was even a ’90s-era NYC newsstand installation displaying real magazine covers graced by the show’s four lead actresses over the years.

With fashion serving as a core theme in both shows, Max not only recreated Carrie’s bedroom, but built a “dream-like” version of her closet brought to life through a hallway lined with 10-foot-tall LED screens showcasing her top looks from the original show and season one of the spinoff. Mirrors separating each screen were prime for selfies. To boot, a custom shoe, bag and outfit display curated by “And Just Like That…” costume designers Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago gave visitors an up-close-and-personal look at some of the show’s most beloved ensembles.

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“Knowing the talk value of this show, even decades on, we thought that there was a real opportunity to do something in an unprecedented sort of way to give back to the fans and have this celebration of the series in a fully interactive way that fans have never been able to appreciate,” says Dana Flax, vp-originals marketing at Max. “Ultimately, the desire was to bring ‘Sex and the City’ back into the spotlight in celebration of its incredible legacy, bring fans into the show and allow them to create all kinds of conversation amongst themselves leading into the new season of ‘And Just Like That….’”

The 25^th anniversary experience additionally included a gift shop offering a limited-edition collection of “SATC25” items like sweatshirts and mugs, a Cosmopolitan Bar serving both alcoholic and virgin cosmos, and cameos by well-known brands from “Sex and the City,” like Magnolia Bakery and 3M, adding another layer of authenticity to the experience.

“We saw people showing up in their blue Manolos, there were people wearing Fendi baguettes,” says Flax. “And there were certain pieces of the experience and certain outfits and certain things that people responded to in a very individual way. Some people really wanted that Brownstone photo. The photo op that we did with the laptop where you could essentially be Carrie and write your column was something super special for certain people. And then with the costumes, witnessing people come around the corner and see them in real life—I heard many audible gasps. So including every possible element that a fan would want to see depending on whatever their personal faves were was absolutely critical.”

HBO_MAX_SATC_25 Year Anniversary_2023_NYC_Carries brownstone

A recreation of Carrie’s Brownstone apartment stoop served as a popular photo op.

Max’s core campaign objectives were to drive earned media and ramp up viewership for season two of “And Just Like That…,” which made engaging influencers and press in person, and interacting with fans on social and digital, an essential piece of the strategy. Accordingly, the brand teamed up with Vogue to host an on-site press preview and fashion panel featuring Sarah Jessica Parker (star of both series and an executive producer of the spinoff), Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago, as well as a VIP opening night party. Meanwhile, influencer partners captured content from the space to share with followers who couldn’t make it to Manhattan.

But wait—there’s more. As the backdrop of both shows, New York City was the obvious choice for a flagship “Sex and the City” experience. But smaller-scale versions of the activation have been popping up across the globe in markets like the Philippines, Mexico, Colombia and the UK.

And Just Like That…It’s Been 25 Years, A Sex and the City Experience was a long time in the making. HBO is well versed in executing megawatt entertainment experiences, but the activation was the first of its kind for the “Sex and the City” franchise, and with a rabid fan base to impress, authenticity was non-negotiable. To that end, Max enlisted the aid of Parker and Michael Patrick King (the original show’s director and an executive director of the spinoff) to ensure every touchpoint was show-accurate, right down to the brand of cigarettes Carrie smoked. The brand even pulled out the series’ original apartment designs to construct the activation footprint.

“None of us really anticipated how emotional it was going to be for fans,” Flax says. “There were several fans that walked through the door who had the most unbelievable stories of what brought them there and how much the show meant to them. And we were just so happy to be able to bring this to them in a way that has never been done before for this franchise, specifically. We were so touched, honestly, to hear everyone’s personal stories. It’s been a wonderful celebration.” Partners: RQ; Framestore; disguise.