Sarah Jessica Parker Talks Fashion With Vogue [PHOTOS]

Sarah Jessica Parker is the August Vogue cover girl, which is on newsstands nationwide July 19th. The actress discusses juggling three children, acting, producing, fashion, charity work, and her new movie, the aptly named I Don’t Know How She Does It.

On identifying with Carrie Bradshaw: “Bradshaw’s life is nothing — nothing — like mine,” she says. “I loved playing her, and it changed my life in lots of wonderful ways, but I’m not a crazy shoe lady, I don’t think about fashion all day long, although I have a great respect for the industry. Every choice we’ve made has been different.”

On being unable to leave N.Y.C.: “You do start to understand the behind-the-gate mentality, the getting in the car in your driveway…but I can’t imagine living in seclusion. We flirted with it. We went outside the city and troubled all these Realtors and stood in these homes and fantasized, and then I kept picturing nine o’clock at night and” — she breaks into mime, drumming her fingers on her crossed knees and staring into the middle distance. “The beautiful thing about New York is, you have to expose yourself to other people the minute you step outside the door. There is no choice. And I love that.”

On her love of fashion: “I love the opportunity to wear something really special and go to a wonderful event at some great cultural institution. Not to sound too Pollyanna about it, but I really didn’t imagine when I was a little girl that I would be there to see it all myself.”

Sarah Jessica Parker talks about getting dressed for the evening…

On getting dressed for an evening out: For the Spring Gala of American Ballet Theater, where she serves on the board, she chose a black-and-white lace Valentino because “it was his birthday, and I thought that was a nice way of acknowledging that.” At the Met last May in tribute to Alexander McQueen, she borrowed a nude beaded column from the designer’s archive. “I love the opportunity to wear something really special and go to a wonderful event at some great cultural institution….Not to sound too Pollyanna about it, but I really didn’t imagine when I was a little girl that I would be there to see it all myself.”

More from Sarah Jessica Parker’s Vogue interview, plus photos of Carrie with her twins, head on over to Vogue.com.