New York Style

On an episode of Sex in the City, Carrie’s boyfriend Berger, asks Carrie to read his novel. The characters in his book were native New Yorkers. Carries’ criticism was that Burger described one of the Manhattan-ite women characters as wearing a scrunci in her hair. She told her boyfriend that no self-respecting New York woman would ever wear a scrunci. Scruncis were over.

He disagreed.

On Saturday I visited my daughter in Manhattan. We had lunch in a restaurant housed in ABC Carpet and Home in the flatiron district. And as we walked back to her apartment after our meal I noticed two women walking in front of us. And although I could not see their faces I could tell from behind that they were about my age. I also noticed something else. One of the women had a bit too much gel-like hair product in her naturally wavy bob---a hairstyle not necessary on trend. But there was another oddity—something glaring. It was the way her cardigan was tied around her neck like a shawl or scarf---with intention. I remembered doing that---it was a “thing”. It was high style. Everyone owned matching sleeveless sweater sets and wore the cardigan without putting their arms in the sleeves. It was so 1999. And I remarked to Samantha how that very fashionable way of covering your shoulders just wasn’t done anymore—particularly in Manhattan where being on-trend is as natural as breathing.

And just like that---the women stopped short in front of us. They were lost.  Their mid-western twang and overly friendly demeanor was a dead give away--they were tourists.

And in the episode of Sex in the City both Carrrie and Berger find themselves in line at the theatre. A woman in front of them was wearing a scrunci in her hair and the boyfriend smirked in self-satisfaction. That was until the woman spoke and her southern accent gave her away.

She was not a native New Yorker.

Not even close.

Who says life does not imitate art?