STYLE ICON SJP'S BIG BIRTHDAY

As Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker enters her seventh decade, we learn how she became a trendsetter of the noughties and beyond

- MITYA UNDERWOOD

As actress Sarah Jessica Parker approaches her 60th birthday, it's hard to believe it's been more than 25 years since the tutu-wearing star filmed the opening credits of what would became a symbol of noughties television - Sex And The City.

At the time, the Ohio-born actress was still relatively unknown to audiences outside of the US, but in the 27 years since, Sarah - or SJP as her fans affectionately call her - has become not only a global fashion icon in her own right (with an eclectic wardrobe that arguably outshines that of her SATC character Carrie Bradshaw), but an adoring mum-of-three, shoe designer, wine maker, book publisher, TV producer, documentary maker, and more.

It's perhaps not surprising, then, that she only has achievements to celebrate as she reaches her milestone birthday.

"I don't really think about my age, I don't see it as something to worry about," she candidly told Vogue France [in January 2023]. "I don't know if it's denial or that I just don't want to face reality.

"I don't see the point of trying to suspend time. Of course, I do care about my appearance from time to time and I do want to look presentable when it's appropriate.

But in any case, I really can't do much about what people think of my appearance."

And while many of her counterparts, particularly in the world of Hollywood, try to fend off the inevitable signs of ageing with the help of a needle or scalpel, she won't be joining them, because "I'm an actor, I have to move my eyebrows. I'm meant to be sharing emotions and communicating with my face."

The fascination with Sarah's looks and style is understandable, given that she spent six years playing Manhattan journalist Carrie, alongside Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, in a show that had an undeniable and lasting impact on luxury fashion.