Patricia Field was born in 1941 in New York City to Greek and Armenian parents who immigrated to America from the Greek island of Lesbos. She was raised in Astoria, Queens and credited with the discovery of modern gaiter for women’s fashion in the 70’s. She is the owner of the homonymous boutique Patricia Field.
She is the woman who dared to introduce a skirt made from woven baskets and a sports tank top in the iconic promotion of Sex and the City, revolutionized how French women dress in Emily in Paris, and brought her unique version of Anna Wintour to life in The Devil Wears Prada. We’re talking about Patricia Field, the world’s most recognizable costume designer, who remains more active than ever at the age of 82.
Field credits her career success to her Greek temperament and DNA, which drove her to never stop pursuing her goals. From the moment she opened her first shop in one of Manhattan’s most alternative neighborhoods, she became synonymous with the artistic avant-garde that defines the city that never sleeps. Yet, her journey began decades ago, when her Greek grandmother taught her how to transform a simple piece of fabric into entire worlds—and, more importantly, how to conquer them.
Plato in Manhattan
Even her unforgettable 80th birthday celebration was filled with Greek friends, such as Sophia Karvela—one of her closest confidants who worked with her—and Fotis Sergoulopoulos, who accompanied her on a trip back to her homeland, Lesvos. These Greek aspects of her life are highlighted in the documentary Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field by Michael Selditch. The film was screened as part of the 26th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, with the director in attendance, who shared Field’s greetings and noted that “she will never stop loving and returning to Greece.”
The film chronicles Field’s career, delving into her creative process and her ability to use fashion as a vehicle for expression and innovation. Simultaneously released with her autobiography, it sheds light on previously unknown aspects of her past and her profound Greek roots.
Sex and the City
Field met Sarah Jessica Parker during the filming of the «Miami Rhapsody» in 1995 and the actress was fascinated by Patricia’s collections. They became friends and started their collaboration in the series «Sex and the City». Before the beginning of the first season of «Sex and the City», Parker asked Field to take on the design of some of the clothes the character of Carrie Bradshaw would wear. During Field’s term as a costume designer in the «Sex and the City», the series got an extra merit for the fashion set.
Field was nominated for five Emmy Awards because of her work in the «Sex and the City» winning finally an Emmy, while she was nominated for six «Costume Designers Guild» awards winning four of them. In 2008, she made a come-back with the costumes for the Sex and the City: The Movie» (2008) and continued with the «Sex and the City 2″ (2010). She also worked in the Asian market undertaking the fashion mission in the Chinese film «Go Go lala» (2010) whilst her most recent fashion endeavour was the Taiwanese TV series «The Material Queen».
Field has been enjoined by the high society’s fashion demands and many of her designs have become famous. Her works in television also include «Hope & Faith» and «Ugly Betty», while she served as costume designer for the feature film «The Devil Wears Prada» for which she was nominated for an Oscar award for Best Costume Design. In an extensive interview, included in the extras’ section on the film’s DVD, she admits she attired the cast of «The Devil Wears Prada» combining pieces from other designers without focusing on the use of her own dress designs.
Patricia Field has designed the clothes for Namie Amuro’s video clip as well as the clothes for Anna Vissi’s music videos: «Stin pira- On fire» and «Alitissa Psichi-Tramp Psyche» from her album «Apagorevmeno-Forbidden».