Suburban women see themselves in the 'Sex and the City' characters

One of the reasons women like "Sex and the City" so much is that they can relate to the characters.

Not so much their $700 designer shoes or trendy urban lives, but their tight, discuss-anything friendships, their struggles to find true love, and their passion for fashion and martinis.

"Sex" fans often see themselves in one or more of the show's characters, or see their friends in others.

So no need to go to New York City to find the "Sex" girls -- there are plenty of Carries, Mirandas, Charlottes and Samanthas right here in the suburbs. We talked to a few in advance of the opening this week of the "Sex and the City" movie.

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"We all can relate to one of these characters at one time in our lives," says fan Julie Bock, 37, of Lake Villa. "We all have a bit of each of them in us."

The Carries

Aidan: "Don't take this the wrong way but this place could use a little work."

Carrie: "I know, but I can't afford it."

Aidan: "You've got eight thousand bucks' worth of shoes over there."

Carrie: "I needed those!"

Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is the clothes-obsessed sex columnist. She is loyal to her friends, frequently ponders life's questions and hopes one day to "have it all." The last time we saw her, she had reunited with her old flame, Big.

bull; Amy Leidig, 28, of St. Charles, shares Carrie's weakness for designer purses and shoes.

"If I could afford Manolos, I'd buy them in a heartbeat," she says.

Leidig also admires Carrie's free spirit and fashion bravery. After reading online that many of Carrie's clothes on the show came from thrift shops, she went to some seeking fashion treasures.

"I like that she does her own thing," she said.

bull; Kelly Bulmash, 24, of Buffalo Grove, thinks she's emotionally a Charlotte, but sees herself more in Carrie.

"I have a little bit of a shoe obsession," Bulmash admits. "I wear heels all the time #8230; I probably have 20 to 30 pairs."

What connects her to Carrie the most, though, is her close-knit friendships.

"I have a few very, very close girlfriends and we're all very open with each other," she said. "No subject is left unspoken."

The Charlottes

Carrie: "When Charlotte really liked a guy she said his whole name -- it helped her to imagine their future monogrammed towels."

Charlotte York Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis), the prim-and-proper Park Avenue princess, is a hopeless romantic who desperately wants a child. When we last saw her, she had married her divorce attorney, Harry, and they were adopting a baby girl from China.

bull; When the show started, Dawn Finnegan, 39, of Arlington Heights, thought she was most like Carrie. But as the show progressed, she realized she's more of a Charlotte.

"She loves kids, and she's kind of more settled. That's more like me," Finnegan said.

bull; Like Charlotte, Kelly Newlin, 25, of Schaumburg, doesn't like to be too edgy or taboo. For example, her friends recently tried to convince her to get her boyfriend a night at Sybaris for an anniversary gift. Instead, she bought him a digital frame.

"I'm more reserved," she said, laughing.

bull; There's little doubt that Kimberly Graham, 22, of West Dundee, is a Charlotte.

"I'm optimistic, my sense of style is very classic, and I don't see why fairy-tale endings can't happen in real life," she said.

The Mirandas

Miranda: "Smart, yes, sometimes cute, but never sexy. Sexy is the thing I try to get them to see me as after I win them over with my personality."

Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) is the smart, level-headed, career-driven lawyer who becomes unexpectedly pregnant, gives birth to a son and then weds the baby's daddy, her on-and-off boyfriend Steve (Naperville native David Eigenberg). When we last saw them, they had moved out to the suburbs.

bull; Beth Seiffert, 38, of Palatine, once worked as a paralegal and was the first of her girlfriends to have children -- so she definitely can see herself in Miranda.

She also relates to Miranda's serious and rational approach to problem-solving.

"I can have my fun moments, too," she said.

bull; Being a bartender, Aysa Hitzeman, 27, of Lisle, has learned to be a no-nonsense, straight-talker to both men and women. So she's a mix of Miranda and Samantha.

Hitzeman shares Samantha's hard-headedness and indifference to what others think.

"But I like that Miranda's the one to stick up for everyone all the time. She has that (bad) attitude. I'm like that," she said.

bull; Like Miranda, Liz Swetnam, 32, of Joliet, doesn't put up with any garbage.

"Remember the episode where Miranda was ordering Chinese food and the lady laughed at her? And how she went down there to confront her? That would be me," she said.

Swetman can't be fake with her friends -- if they are dating someone she doesn't like, they know it. She also watched Miranda struggle with the same problems she had after having a baby while single, such as babysitting and dating issues.

The Samanthas

Samantha: "I'm a tri-sexual ... I'll try anything once."

Samantha Jones (Kim Catrall) is the confident, promiscuous and wise-cracking public relations executive. Her "have fun" attitude was tamed by a breast cancer diagnosis, and she's been helped through it by her much-younger boyfriend, model Smith Jerrod.

bull; Ask any of Julie Bock's friends and they'll tell you: she's definitely a Samantha.

It's not because of sexual conquests, but the confidence and I'm-in-control attitude she exudes.

"I like that Samantha's confident, says what she wants to say and she's out there," says Bock, 37, of Lake Villa. "It's her attitude more than anything that I relate to."

bull; Not only does St. Charles native Sara Price, 25, work as an event planner -- a high-profile job like Samantha's -- but their personalities are similar.

"She can be kind of blunt sometimes, and says things that just come into her head. I do that sometimes," she said.

She also dates a lot of men (not Samantha-style) and isn't quick to fall in love.

"I don't get emotionally attached that easily," she said.

bull; "I would love to say I'm a Charlotte, but I'm more of a Samantha," confesses Julie Purcell, 23, of Park Ridge.

They don't have promiscuity in common, but they share a tendency to stay emotionally distant in relationships.

While Purcell jokes that she was "raised to be a Charlotte," she finds herself relating more to Samantha's independence, career drive, outspokenness and loyalty to her friends.

Does Purcell often say things that embarrass her friends or make them uncomfortable?

"Yep, that's me," she said, laughing.

Are we in Charlottesville?

The Chicago area has more Charlottes than Mirandas, according to a recent survey by chemistry.com. Of the Chicago area women surveyed:

bull; 31 percent are Charlottes ("builders")

bull; 25 percent are Carries ("negotiators")

bull; 24 percent are Samanthas ("explorers")

bull; 20 percent are Mirandas ("directors")