Sarah Jessica Parker Says Fashions on HBO's Divorce Are Inspired by the '70s

Back when Sarah Jessica Parker starred in Sex in the City, you may kinda sorta remember occasional conversations about what her character Carrie was wearing. (The show began almost TWENTY years ago so it's okay if your memory is a little hazy.)

Although WHAT IS CARRIE WEARING became an entire cottage industry back in the early aughts, don't look for fashion to be a dominate narrative when SPJ returns to HBO with Divorce in the fall. The actress, who appeared at the Television Critics Association gathering in Beverly Hills Saturday to talk about the show, said clothing is a part of the story but not in the way we were all obsessed with way back when.

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Arjun Bhasin -- a costume designer from India known for his work on Hindi cinema and international films including Life of Pi -- created the looks for the show.

"He's a beautiful designer and costume designer," Parker said. "Early on there was this desire on my part that I wanted to think about 70s cinema." (That's not in the bellbottoms and platform shoes sense, but lighting, color tone and the like. In a way, she said, the costumes make Divorce, set in Westchester County, New York, almost like a period piece.)

"We had a lot of thought about it," she said. "Pretty much everything she wears is used, from Etsy or thrift shops along the Northeast corridor."

Parker's character Frances is seeing her marriage fall apart after a decade and two children, and finding that making a clean break is harder than she thought. Naturally, she's not spending as much time as Carrie Bradshaw did mulling over heels and handbags. "Everything is utilitarian in a way. Clothing is not another character. It's much more subtle, but you see it in everything."

Divorce premieres on HBO October 9.