Sex and the City fans spiralling as Carrie Bradshaw’s closet is shaking after Saks’ parent eyes bankruptcy

Luxury fashion just hit a plot twist no one saw coming, and Sex and the City fans are taking it personally. Saks Fifth Avenue, the glossy New York institution synonymous with aspirational shopping and sky-high heels, has found itself at the centre of bankruptcy chatter. While the iconic Saks stores are still open, its parent company, Saks Global, is reportedly considering a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing as a last-ditch move to manage crushing debt and restructure its business.

For a brand that once symbolised endless credit cards and fantasy wardrobes, the vibes are suddenly very recession-coded.

And yes, the internet immediately dragged Carrie Bradshaw into it.



Saks Global, which also owns Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, has been struggling ever since its massive $2.7 billion acquisition of Neiman Marcus in late 2024. The merger was meant to create a luxury retail powerhouse. Instead, it has reportedly left the company drowning in debt just as luxury spending began to cool.

According to reports, Saks Global recently missed a $100 million payment to bondholders and is now in talks with creditors about potential bankruptcy financing. Industry chatter suggests vendor payments have also been delayed, leaving some stores short on the high-fashion brands shoppers actually come for. Less product, weaker sales, more pressure. The cycle is not cute.



While Saks Fifth Avenue itself has not officially declared bankruptcy, the fact that its parent company is openly weighing Chapter 11 has raised serious alarm bells across the fashion world.

Although flagship Saks stores remain open, Saks Global has quietly begun shutting down several Saks Off 5th discount locations. The move has been framed as an attempt to “optimise” its physical footprint, but the message is clear: luxury retail is tightening its belt.

For a generation raised on TikTok hauls and aspirational shopping vlogs, this feels like another sign that the old-school luxury department store era is wobbling.



Naturally, fans of Sex and the City and And Just Like That have turned this financial news into pop culture chaos. Carrie Bradshaw, the original financially irresponsible fashion girl, famously shopped at Bergdorf Goodman and lived in designer pieces she absolutely could not afford.

Online jokes have exploded, suggesting that Carrie Bradshaw metaphorically collapsing on a Manhattan sidewalk is the only acceptable reaction to Saks’ troubles. The irony is not lost on fans: a character known for drowning in credit card debt is now being linked to the downfall of the very stores that defined her style era.

This is not the first time Sex and the City nostalgia has collided with retail reality. Barneys New York, another Carrie-approved fashion haven, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in 2019 and ultimately closed its physical stores. Its brand now lives on through licensing deals, including partnerships with Saks Fifth Avenue itself.

For fashion watchers, Saks Global’s situation feels uncomfortably familiar. Big names, massive debt, changing consumer habits, and a luxury market that is no longer immune to reality.



Saks Global has not confirmed a bankruptcy filing, and discussions are reportedly ongoing behind closed doors. But the message is already loud. The luxury retail fantasy that shaped an entire pop culture era is under serious strain.

Carrie Bradshaw built an identity around stores like Saks. Watching them struggle feels less like business news and more like the end of an era. And for fans, it hits harder than a maxed-out credit card.