Sabrina Carpenter means business—she just dropped her star-studded Netflix Christmas special, A Nonsense Christmas, debuted a lead role in Versace’s latest eyewear campaign, and recently launched her new perfume, the aptly titled Me Espresso. Stepping out in New York last night (December 10), her outfit confidently recalled one of the city’s biggest fashion icons, accessorised with a little briefcase to match the ‘getting shit done’ vibe.
The ‘Taste’ singer, who was out for her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, wore a vintage Lillie Rubin set, all black with a leopard-print fur collar and cuffs. She wore sheer black pantyhose, black platform stilettos at the preferred altitude for the five-feet-to-be-exact star, and a boxy little briefcase. What’s in the case? A collector’s six-season boxset of beloved sitcom The Nanny, perhaps.
Carpenter’s look is a direct reference to an outfit seen on Fran Fine, the perennially well-dressed nanny from Flushing. You can spot it in the first season’s pilot for The Nanny, in 1993. Actor Fran Drescher analysed the look in her Life in Looks for Vogue. “It is the definitive nanny-looking costume,” Drescher said of the outfit at the time. “This is what created the style of the flashy girl from Flushing. Definitely sexy, but not trashy. It has a sweetness to it. She was a nanny, always with a little zhuzh. We would change the buttons, sometimes put on different trims, and we would definitely shorten the skirt. Just like a 90s Mary Poppins, a la Fran Drescher.”
While there are a few subtle differences to the jacket, Carpenter and Fran’s looks are both from the same vintage label, Lillie Rubin. Both sets feature the dramatic leopard collar, cuffs, and buttons, with a soft peplum. Carpenter was also seen with a similar, matching beret, and big, bouncy curls. So far, so Fran.
It’s not the first time Carpenter has delved into Fran’s wardrobe. For September’s 2024 MTV VMAs red carpet, Carpenter and her stylist Jared Ellner picked up a show-stopping silver beaded 1991 Bob Mackie dress from the celebrity-approved fashion archive Tab Vintage. The look she wore was designed originally for Madonna to wear to perform at the Oscars, but it was also seen on the aforementioned Ms. Fine on The Nanny, too.
Faux fur and vintage finds have proven a go-to Winter fit formula for Carpenter. Last week at a special screening of her Netflix special in New York, she wore a Chanel by way of Karl Lagerfeld black and white faux fur and cashmere mini dress from 1994, with a cropped faux fur jacket to match.
Whatever else this festive season of looks brings, we can count on Sabrina bringing the style and flair a la Fran.
