Sex and the City mania is making a comeback nearly a decade after the ladies lit up the screen, as paparazzi pictures the upcoming HBO limited series And Just Like That start to emerge. It began on July 9 when the first promotional picture was released featuring the condensed core cast traipsing through the streets of their familiar city. On the left was Cynthia Nixon (Miranda), her red hair now silver, with an Altuzarra checkered blouse, Vince belted tapered pants, Manolo Blahniks and a vintage Bottega Veneta white woven clutch. On the right was Kristin Davis (Charlotte), with a polka dot off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera blouse, a belted pencil skirt, Dior J'Adior slingback satin pumps and a Lady Dior mini bag. At center was Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie) wearing a vintage Norma Kamali black and white check skirt, a Monrowe hat draped over her shoulder like a backpack, Celine FW20 tri-buckle Mary Jane pumps and a vintage leather basket weave handbag.

Don't for a minute think I can eyeball such meticulous details. All credit to 23-year-old Victoria Bazalinchuk, a Ukrainian teacher and aspiring stylist with a penchant for identifying garments by sight alone. Her Instagram account, @justlikethatcloset, is something of a sibling to the enormously popular @everyoutfitsatc, in that it identifies the garments the ladies wear. But there's one key difference: time. Sex and the City, both the series and the original movie (we do not acknowledge the film sequel as canon), came about before Instagram was invented, and thus Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garronim, the duo behind the @everyoutfit account, had years to research. For Bazalinchuk, there's but a few precious hours before folks (like myself) are clamoring to know what Carrie and co. are wearing.

But it's not just the trio she's helping to ID. There's also newbies Nicole Ari Parker and Sandy Tejada as well as returning players like Willie Garson (Stanford), Mario Cantone (Anthony), David Eigenberg (Steve) and Evan Handler (Harry), all of whom have been snapped on set. Not to mention the fact that Chris Noth (Big) as well as other announced new cast members Sara Ramírez, Karen Pittman and Sarita Choudhury have yet to be spotted.

In other words, Bazalinchuk has her work cut out for her as she tries to maintain both rhythm and accuracy amidst the deluge of photos being released nearly daily. So far, it seems she's up for the task.

Let me start by asking you this: What is it about this show that keeps it not only relevant, but top of mind, nearly 25 years after its premiere?

It's the feeling of home. No matter what happens in your life, you know that you can turn on SATC and you will immediately feel like you're not alone. This happened to me lots of times. Whenever I broke up with a guy, I'd feel guilty because I felt the pressure from people around me. I thought I didn't fit in. But then I discovered SATC and I learned that it's totally okay to be unmarried and meet different people and that I'm not alone. So after that I'd come back to the series every time something went downhills in my love life.

What compelled you to start the account?

Before @justlikethatcloset I had been running some other fashion accounts, so when I saw that SATC was coming back I knew immediately that I had to make one for their fashions. I knew the rush around SATC fashion the first time around, and how we all had to wait until we got to know what the ladies wore, and this time I didn't want to make people wait because by the time the show airs most of the clothes will be sold out and I know how upsetting it might be.

Can you walk through the process of you ID the looks — and so quickly?

Oh sometimes it can be quite time consuming and sometimes I recognize certain items straight away because the brand's got a strong DNA. But it's hard work and a lot of research before you know for sure that you got the right item.

I imagine it's frustrating seeing stuff getting taken down or copied by other accounts. What's been the biggest frustration?

These both things are really upsetting but when it comes to copyrighting, I must admit that I'm partly wrong, too. I was getting pics from fan websites where photographers weren't mentioned and I didn't do my work to find out who took the pictures. Now I got permission from a few photographers and only use their pictures! But it's quite a different thing when the info I found is being stolen. And I know for sure when people get info from me because some pieces are provided by the team itself. Someone also told me that the information on my page might be considered as an intellectual property.

Favorite SATC look ever?

My all time favorite is Carrie's green outfit when she was looking for an apartment with Mr. Big and her "nude dress" obviously. Another fave is Charlotte's Oscar De La Renta polka dot dress that she wore while pregnant.

Least favorite?

I'm not really a big fan of Carrie's fur coat that she wore on many occasions, but especially her New Year outfit in the movie. As well as her pirate-like look with the pink dress and the green/brown outfit with the horse bag.

What did you think when you heard Pat Field was not returning?

I knew there would be a lot of negativity towards the new costume designer, but I mostly think people just don't want to accept the changes in the show. It's not the same anymore and we all should accept that things tend to change. What I see is that many people still expect it to be the same, with the actresses being the same age. For me, I'm more of a realist and I get it that the new show is more likely to be absolutely different from SATC. And I'm really excited for the new turn in the ladies' lives.

Favorite And Just Like That look we've seen so far?

I'm really into Charlotte and Lisa's (Nicole Ari Parker) looks now! I'm living for Emilia Wickstead on Char and something extraordinary on Lisa (even though we've seen only one outfit of hers). And I'm sure they'll be giving much more indoor fashions and vintage clothes that I'm looking forward to.

From the fashion perspective, what do you think losing Samantha does for the show?

I guess it's the confidence we might miss without Samantha. She was complementing the clothes and wearing it like it was made for her. You could smell it! I wish they'll replace her with someone who's just as self-confident with high self-esteem.

Who are your favorite designers?

The ultimate classics: Yves Saint Laurent, Cristobal Balenciaga, Martin Margiela, Christian Dior, Phoebe Philo!


Photo courtesy of HBO Max