Charlotte York, Gallery Girl
an exploration of my favourite character to *barely* exist
We may have different definitions of the Gallery Girl. You may also know her as the Gallerina. But the internet’s simple definition remains the same: fashionable art gallery employee who, usually, identifies as a woman. Variables may include the clothes they wear, the people they know, the galleries they work at, just how polished and coiffed they are, and so on.
I like to think the definition of the Gallery Girl has developed since its introduction to modern media. She is more than an intern or assistant, though these are still enviable roles, she now owns the place too—she’s a Gallerist these days. And thanks to the internet, I get to see this progression in real time.1
Though it may seem, referentially, that I like to live in the past, I rarely partake in the business of what ifs as I don’t particularly enjoy wasting my time that way. But there is one bygone “what if” that I regularly mourn: Charlotte York, the Gallery Girl.
Charlotte York - Art Dealer, Unmarried Woman.
When we meet Charlotte, she’s considered an art dealer. She regularly discusses “the gallery” and we often meet her there in episodes. Though Kristin Davis has since stated on her podcast “Are You A Charlotte?” that Charlotte’s character wasn’t as defined or developed as the others in season one and two, my personal favourite episodes of Sex and The City tend to take place early on and include the gallery setting as both a backdrop for her job and the numerous art shows they attend as a group.
A special mention goes to Season 2, Episode 6 titled “The Cheating Curve” in which Charlotte befriends a group of Prada-wearing “power lesbians” and Carrie makes yet more questionable but humanly impulsive decisions. Maybe it’s the so-called “lesbian chic” but the outfits—namely the aforementioned Prada—are great in this episode.
Gallery Girl Charlotte, before And Just Like That, dressed in sleek silhouettes akin to that of the Jil Sander or Calvin Klein collections of the late 90s/early 00s. And while the essence of these outfits wasn’t completely lost as her storyline went on, they became far and few as her gallery appearances diminished.
I couldn’t help but wonder, if only she’d continued to dip her toe into the art world, would we have seen her in some Issey Miyake Pleats (please), or maybe eventually a little of Phoebe Philo’s Celine in the first film? You might be thinking that it’s pointless to ask these questions when we already have a perfectly good Charlotte York character arc over six seasons. It’s true that she probably wouldn’t have had it any other way because, regardless of where she worked, relationships were still at the forefront of the show and her mind. So yes, you’re right, it would’ve been a very different show. But allow me this one instance of what if-ing. For fun if nothing else.
Another aspect of early season Charlotte York that I wish we’d seen more of is her first apartment. It’s very simple and neat. Straight off the bat, the show’s creators display her love for French Country interiors with an all-white kitchen that features a dining table, bench, and cupboards that will cross into shabby chic territory over time.
There’s plenty of wainscoting, and bed skirts or trim details on anything upholstered. If it wasn’t clear enough how much she just wants to picnic in a field, she’ll bake sympathy muffins to be eaten with freshly opened jars of Bonne Maman jam or deliver them as an apology in a wicker basket. Though all of this foreshadows the polite Park Avenue Princess to come, there are still some interior elements that speak to Gallery Girl Charlotte like, what can only be described as, her cupboard library, the small framed prints with excessively large mounts dotted throughout each room, and the frosted glass vase taking centre stage on a bedside table like a sculpture on a podium.
During her Park Avenue reign later on, that Gallery Girl makes a subtle appearance. There is a scene mostly shot in the MacDougal bathroom that reminds me of Charlotte’s brief encounter with minimalism. You can see it in the pale marble sink, the vast un-framed mirrors, the lamp that has moved from her previous hallway to her new ensuite. Even the colourless array of products lining the bathroom surface feels intentional despite the rather maximalist number of them. The simplicity in her outfit here may also have something to do with it. Plus, it’s highly likely that I am projecting onto her a (current context) reminiscence of the Charlotte that sought her proof of existence through a little more than her relationships with men.2
In And Just Like That, despite its destruction of all things beloved about the original series’, the most redeeming storyline for me so far has been Charlotte’s return to her career as a Gallery Girl of sorts. I like that it made her care about whether to wear the belt with her new Prada dress. And though I didn’t love the dress, I appreciate any callbacks to her younger Gallery Girl self, when she would wear more all-black outfits with simple lines. And lots more Prada.
As the six seasons of Sex and The City go on, Charlotte still dons an all-black moment here and there, but the pearls, buttons, and collars creep in as she veers further from her dream of owning a gallery and closer to her venture as a Park Avenue wife.
Let the record show that as I write this I still love the Charlotte York we know today, and there’s so much more to her than one storyline. I do enjoy the multitudes explored in her character development, but that episode where she quits the gallery to be Trey’s wife was like a personal hit. Probably because of how realistic it is to life, when your closest friends put one part of themselves on hold to pursue another.3
So, in honour of her alternate reality and her career goals, here’s how I would style the life of Charlotte York, Gallery Girl had she stuck around a bit longer.
Her wardrobe…
injections of colour, still some elements true to Charlotte’s core, all about the long simple lines, painterly flow, and a few statement pieces to mix in, all without losing her character’s mystery/sex appeal
Her apartment…