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Sarah Jessica Parker is part of the sartorial furniture when it comes to the style set of New York City. But the Sex and the City actress swapped the Big Apple for the big smoke of London on 10 November as she stepped out for a solo evening at The Booker Prize 2025 ceremony at Old Billingsgate. The And Just Like That… star, 60, went full Bridgerton for the occasion, stepping out in a purple satin A-line midi dress with a low V-shaped neckline that was cut into a sharp collar. The garment also featured a corset-style bodice, as well as a full skirt and embroidered sleeves for an extra touch of detailing. As anyone who follows SJP's style will know (myself included, having spent two years on HELLO!'s Lifestyle desk reporting on celebrity fashion), it wouldn't be a look donned by the actress if it didn't include a touch of sparkle. Her look from Monday evening included several touches of sparkle in the form of her killer heels and maroon leather handbag with a mirrorball-inspired lining by Fendi. SJP's London look unpacked "This feels very Carrie Bradshaw, and maybe the star was taking on her inner Carrie, the writer, for the night, and felt it was right to have fun with the fashion," celebrity stylist of 13 years, Ellis Ranson, tells us. "The mauve colour gives a Regency feel, with the black piping making it feel more period drama. The look is saying, 'I respect the occasion, but I'm bringing my own fashion identity'. Dare we say Bridgerton meets Manhattan with the glitter accessories? It's whimsical, feels intelligent, and is perfect for an evening of literature." Elevating her look to the next level were her jewellery and beauty look. The actress, who shares son James Wilkie, 22, and twin daughters Tabitha Hodge and Marion, 16, with actor husband Matthew Broderick, stacked rings on her fingers, slipped a diamond tennis necklace around her neck, and wore her iconic honey blonde tresses in the most voluminous beachy waves. Why was SJP at The Booker Prize ceremony? Sarah Jessica is known for playing New York City-based newspaper columnist and fashionista Carrie Bradshaw from 1999 to August 2025, so fans may not have expected to see her at the Booker Prize, the annual ceremony which recognises the best sustained work of fiction written in English and published in the UK and Ireland. However, the actress served as one of the prize's judges for 2025 and was required to read over a hundred books in seven months to fulfil her duties and help pick a winner. "This endeavour as a Booker judge has created a far more concentrated solitary experience, and that's because it has to be done," she said in July 2025 of her reading habits in relation to the role. "In the past, when I've been alone, reading, there can be a kind of peripheral action going on around me that I integrated and didn't mind. This kind of solitary reading, I think, on behalf of all the authors, deserves true isolation. It's been very different. It takes more effort in a way, simply because I'm taking the task so seriously." She formed a panel of judges alongside Kiley Reid, Roddy Doyle, Chris Power, and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀. The ceremony was a star-studded occasion with actors Jason Isaacs, Adjoa Andoh and Natascha McElhone also in attendance. SJP's October in looks Sarah Jessica's November is off to a flying start, but I know from following her every fashion move that October was a month jam-packed with stylish outings. See my top picks…
