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Patricia Field
Costume Designer
About This Interview
In her two-and-a-half hour Archive interview, designer Patricia Field talks about growing up in Manhattan and being business-savvy from an early age. She chronicles starting her own shop in the city and beginning a career in fashion design. She talks about her first job as a costume designer in film, and her early jobs in television on NBC's Crime Story and Shelly Duvall's Mother Goose Rock 'n Rhyme, for which she won her first Emmy Award. She discusses at length her role as designer for the long-running series Sex and the City and the impact the show's fashion had on popular culture. She details her design process and her role to "elevate" the story a little higher through beautiful clothing. She outlines other television shows on which she worked, such as Spin City and Ugly Betty, and her contributions to the film "The Devil Wears Prada" with Meryl Streep. She also gives her advice to aspiring television costume designers and discusses her future career aspirations. Bonnie Datt conducted the interview on October 18, 2011.
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Watch a clip from Sex and the City when Carrie Bradshaw discovers the shoe closet at Vogue magazine:
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Highlights
Patricia Field on enjoying the storytelling character of costume design
Clip begins at: 02:48- Patricia Field on some signature costume choices from Sex and the City; the "Carrie" necklace
Clip begins at: 18:32 
Patricia Field on how the fashion on Sex and the City became part of pop culture, and its impact on women "it broke down the uniform"
Clip begins at: 14:32, Duration: 01m 42s- Patricia Field on how the clothes became famous on Sex and the City but she still fought for hats: "if you want a sentence missing a word, take the hat off"
Clip begins at: 37:20, Duration: 01m 38s - Patricia Field on the Versace gown that Sarah Jessica Parker wore in the finale of Sex and the City and how it "heightened the sadness" of the scene
Clip begins at: 09:00, Duration: 01m 38s 
Patricia Field on being inspired by the characters on Shelly Duvall's Mother Goose Rock 'n Rhyme and its stars
Clip begins at: 41:13- Patricia Field on working on Spin City as a costume designer; on working on a sitcom "it's theater"
Clip begins at: 18:20, Duration: 01m 35s - Patricia Field on her advice to aspiring television costume designers: "identify your assets"
Clip begins at: 39:51, Duration: 01m 11s
Interview
- Part 1
- Introduction
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On her childhood, parents and early life in Manhattan and Queens
Clip begins at: 00:16 - On learning about fabrics and clothing from her parents' dry-cleaning store in New York; on her education
Clip begins at: 03:19 - On her beginnings as a businesswoman; on working at department stores; on the development of her personal style and the type of clothing she sold at her store, "Patricia Field"
Clip begins at: 11:48 - On entering the field of costume design in films; "Lady Beware" and "He's My Girl"
Clip begins at: 24:19 - On transitioning to costume design for television on Crime Story (NBC); working with Michael Mann; on Mother Goose Rock 'n Rhyme with Shelly Duvall; on winning her first Emmy Award; on meeting Sarah Jessica Parker
Clip begins at: 32:37 - On how she came to be the Costume Designer for Sex and the City after the pilot was shot
Clip begins at: 53:05 - Part 2
- On not being influenced by other sitcoms on television; on how her two industries (fashion and costume design for TV) intertwine; on why she enjoys working in television; on how fashion helps to "tell the story"; on how her job is to respect the characters
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On her work as a costume designer on Sex and the City; on the success of the show resting in the casting by Darren Star; on each of the stars and the inspiration behind their character's costuming
Clip begins at: 05:00 - Patricia Field on some signature costume choices from Sex and the City; the "Carrie" necklace, the tule skirt, Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahniks; on the impact the fashion was having on popular culture; on designers who became part of the show
Clip begins at: 18:32 - Part 3
- On some of the more memorable fashion trends that Sex and the City created: the big flower, pearls
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On the impact Sex and the City had on women at the time, on having "fun with clothes"; on not anticipating trends; on her personal style; on the Versace gown in the finale; on where the SITC wardrobe is now
Clip begins at: 04:52 - On working on Spin City, Hope and Faith, Guiding Light, Ugly Betty
Clip begins at: 17:11 - On working on the film The Devil Wears Prada with David Frankel and Meryl Streep
Clip begins at: 30:33 - On how being in New York City her whole life has affected her style and taste; on her identity as a lesbian; on her advice to aspiring designers and career aspirations
Clip begins at: 37:23
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What an amazing talent. Patricia Field is so engaging and articulate. Thank you so much for sharing her insight with the world.
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