Woman thrifted Carrie Bradshaw's wedding dress for $19, sold it for $2,750

A Chicago-based Poshmark reseller scored a once-in-a-lifetime thrift find after discovering a Vera Wang wedding gown for just $18.99 at Goodwill, according to People magazine.

Ashley Cano, who runs aileenscloset90, immediately recognized the dress as one worn by Sarah Jessica Parker’s character Carrie Bradshaw for a Vogue photo shoot in the first Sex and the City movie. “Vera freaking Wang,” Cano said in a TikTok showcasing the gown. “I cannot believe that I found this dress at Goodwill for $18.99. It is Vera Wang. It is the Carrie Bradshaw dress. I’m shook.”

The strapless gown, officially called the Eleanor Bridal Gown, features a voluminous ruffled skirt and feathery layers, and is valued at roughly $7,500. Pre-owned versions are sold for around $3,000. Cano sold the dress for $2,750 to Sophia Corin Merlino, who purchased it for her wedding.

Merlino, 28, told People, “The moment the viral video came up on my FYP my first thought was, 'I need this dress.' My second thought was, 'I know this girl!' Like hundreds of other brides, I DM’d her immediately. She only let one bride-to-be try it on. I needed this dress.”

Cano shared in the TikTok comments that the resale proceeds would go toward her ongoing divorce. “Low key been stressing over my lawyer bills for my divorce. I needed a blessing. Didn’t think it would come in the way of a wedding dress but I’m not complaining,” she wrote.

Merlino wore the gown for her wedding to Bobby Ernsting on 13 February at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in Miami. The bride described the experience as “whimsical” and “like a fairy tale,” noting that guests could not help but touch the tulle skirt. After minor alterations, the gown fit her perfectly.

The story captured widespread attention on social media, with Cano’s TikTok receiving tens of thousands of views and hundreds of comments from brides-to-be eager for a chance to wear the iconic SATC gown.