Though I distinctly recall the first time I watched Will & Grace, I cannot say for sure what episode it was. Of course it was a Thursday night, but it was also at the beginning of my senior year in high school, circa September 2001. I cross referenced the Will & Grace airing schedule with that of the Long Beach High School football schedule; I think it was the season premiere “The Third Wheel Gets the Grace” because I vaguely recall Woody Harrelson making an appearance as Grace’s boyfriend, Nathan.
At school, someone had the genius idea of making more work for the kids who were probably already overworked. Every extracurricular club had to submit an informative display, not unlike a science fair project, to sit in the courtyard during lunch. I, ever the overachiever and against my better judgement, committed myself to building the display for the Student Council.
The night before it was due, all of the media sat in my bedroom, and I settled into make the most kick ass presentation representing the movers and shakers of Long Beach High School. NBC played in the background of my marathon display building session, as I wanted to catch Friends.
As part of the Must-See TV campaign, Will & Grace was part of the lineup and that night was the first time I watched it. Something about it (read: having a male best friend who would never make an advance) was more aspirational than Friends and I found myself preferring to watch the former than the latter. The friendships, costumes, and the backdrop of Manhattan (later Brooklyn) made for a network television alternative to Sex and the City.
Both the kookiness of Grace’s and the designer-driven quality of Karen’s wardrobes were a draw to Will & Grace. I read in a 2017 interview between OG costume designer Lori Eskowitz-Carter and Fashionista, that the clothing-centered jokes came after the wardrobe selections, not before. This unlocked memories of the cow print pencil skirt, ruffle front tuxedo shirt, cat in the hat, and Paul Smith boots.
Upon a recent rewatch of Star Spangled Banter (how timely, given the gravity of lately), I googled Paul Smith boots, just to see if they and more broadly are still around and in production. As it turns out, the designer is still producing and an updated iteration of the wild boots are available:
the paul smith fabulous boots of today
the paul smith fabulous boots of yesteryear on the secondary market
Will I be wearing the new version with black opaque tights and a black bodycon cashmere sweater dress?
Do I need to even answer that question?