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Why Carolyn Bessette Kennedy Is Our Forever ’90s Style Muse

Ryan Murphy’s Love Story is poised to hit our screens soon, so while the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s turbulent relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr. will of course be in the spotlight, her impeccable minimalist style will inevitably become more sought-after than ever. Here, COLLEEN ROSS takes a deep dive into the former fashion publicist’s effortless outfit formulas

Fashion editor Millie Parry
Fashion
There are classics, and there are classics: blue jeans, a white tee and an understated black coat were wardrobe stalwarts for Bessette Kennedy – just as they are today, almost 30 years later

Few women personify ’90s minimalism better than the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. Whether dressed in a simple black turtleneck, blue jeans and penny loafers while running errands in New York, or a strapless LBD for a black-tie event in the city, the American style icon and former publicist mastered understated elegance. It’s no exaggeration to say her style was to the ’90s what her mother-in-law Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s style was to the ’60s – enduring and truly iconic. “I think her style resonates a great deal today because it’s timeless and we still find elements of her dressing very appealing,” says creative director Sunita Kumar Nair, who wrote Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion. “She understood how to wear classics.”

Prior to her marriage to John F. Kennedy Jr., Bessette worked as a publicist for Calvin Klein (rumor has it the pair met while he was shopping for suits in the brand’s Manhattan store), which no doubt helped shape her preference for minimal, unfussy silhouettes and sleek, logo-free accessories – think oval-framed sunglasses, tortoiseshell headbands and dainty gold hoops. And yet, however simple Bessette’s outfits seemed, a closer look often revealed an unexpected, avant-garde element that made them uniquely hers – Ann Demeulemeester, Yohji Yamamoto and Helmut Lang were her go-to brands for more directional pieces.

Fashion was a means of communication and self-expression for the notoriously private Bessette Kennedy. “I loved getting to know Carolyn through her clothing,” says Kumar Nair. “It was an essential piece of her, because she didn’t speak in interviews… Everything she did was thoughtfully curated and considered.”

You can imagine the fashion world’s collective excitement, then, when it was announced that Ryan Murphy’s latest anthology series, Love Story, would chronicle the relationship between Bessette Kennedy (portrayed by Sarah Pidgeon) and JFK Jr. (Paul Kelly), offering fans an excuse to obsess over her impeccable style once more.

Premiering on February 12, the series has already come under fire for what critics believe to be an inaccurate portrayal of Bessette Kennedy’s wardrobe. In teaser images released in June last year, Pidgeon is photographed wearing a run-of-the-mill camel coat and a shapeless Hermès ‘Birkin 35’ (as opposed to CBK’s preferred ‘Birkin 40’, which was famously overstuffed), prompting backlash from fans online. Even her hair was critiqued for not being the right shade of honey-blonde. The Bessette Kennedy stans don’t miss a beat.

However, Murphy was quick to reassure audiences that the images were simply test shots and not reflective of the costumes in the show, which he confirmed will include several exact pieces worn by Bessette Kennedy throughout the ’90s – ie, multiple pairs of her beloved Manolo Blahnik slingbacks, that ruffled Yohji Yamamoto skirt she wore to the Whitney Museum gala in March 1999 and, yes, the correct-sized ‘Birkin’.

As we await the first episode of Love Story, we decode Bessette Kennedy’s iconic outfit formula…

Bessette Kennedy’s aesthetic may have been pared back, but that never meant boring. Here – with John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1997 – a pop of red does all the style talking
Want to channel Bessette Kennedy’s style (pictured here in 1997 with JFK Jr.)? Note the timeless accessories: tortoiseshell headband, loafers, clean-lined clutch. Minimalist magic

Her downtime denim was still cut to perfection

“Carolyn always knew the importance of each piece – the right jeans, say – and she would take great care with the cut, the length, the kind of worn-out essence within the fabric or the denim, and pair it in a way that was very ‘Carolyn’,” says Kumar Nair. Bessette Kennedy often sported straight-leg styles, but her preferred denim shape was boot-cut (she was loyal to Levi’s ‘517’ style), which suited her tall frame and became a staple in her wardrobe all year round. Find your perfect pair in Slverlake’s ‘Jade’ style, which pair beautifully with Joseph’s exquisite wool and cashmere-blend ‘Arlina’ coat – both highlights from our NET SUSTAIN edit.

She elevated the status of the white shirt

“Her style was classic and modern at the same time,” says London-based tastemaker Evie Henderson, who has been a fan since she was in her late teens and is inspired by Bessette Kennedy’s ethos of building a sustainable, wear-forever wardrobe. “Nothing felt trend-driven; she was focused on good tailoring and high-quality pieces.” Indeed, Bessette Kennedy knew how to make every piece in her closet work overtime, such as the menswear-inspired white shirt she wore to the 1999 Whitney Museum gala – one of her most iconic looks. Considered touches (the open collar and folded cuffs) added a sense of undone elegance to her ensemble, which she styled with nothing more than a chainmail clutch. Róhe’s soft cotton-poplin shirt from our edit comes in an hourglass shape we’re confident would be CBK-approved.

Bessette Kennedy understood the versatility – and power – of separates, as seen in the iconic look she wore to the Whitney Museum Gala in 1999
Part of the art of fashion is knowing when, and how, to push things a little further. Bessette Kennedy loved adding a playful touch of leopard print to an otherwise simple ensemble (pictured here in 1997 with JFK Jr.)

She knew how to work leopard print with elegance

Bessette Kennedy rarely wore animal print, but did have a soft spot for a leopard-print coat (she owned at least two, both believed to be vintage), which she often styled with jeans and a turtleneck in the fall. Although it may seem at odds with her pared-back aesthetic, leopard print acts like a neutral and is incredibly versatile – qualities Carolyn always looked for – so she was able to treat it the same as any other staple in her wardrobe. And you can, too, with Rixo’s chic ‘Milly’ coat.

Bessette Kennedy – pictured here with husband JFK Jr. outside the couple’s Tribeca apartment in NYC – was always ’90s minimalism personified

Proportion was everything

“When people try to recreate a ‘Carolyn Bessette Kennedy outfit’, they often copy the items but miss the blueprint,” says the curator of the Instagram fan account @allforcarolyn (run by an anonymous stylist). “Carolyn understood how a specific hemline, shoulder drop or rolled cuff could change the energy of a look. It wasn’t just about the clothes; it was about the spatial relationship between the fabric and her frame. Without adjusting for your own proportions, an outfit risks feeling like a costume,” says the stylist. If you’re petite and love pencil skirts like the one Carolyn is pictured wearing here, consider opting for one that hits on, or just below, the knee – such as Stouls’ ‘Gilda’ skirt in camel suede – and style it with Gianvito Rossi’s tonal ‘Santiago’ boots.

Separates are the star again: JFK Jr. and Bessette Kennedy arriving at the Whitney Museum Gala Kick-Off Exhibition in 1997

Her evening style was equally effortless

When dressing for a formal event, it’s easy to fall into the trap of wearing something that you don’t feel entirely yourself in. But not for Bessette Kennedy – her evening looks all felt entirely in tune with her everyday style and seemed as if they’d been thrown together at a moment’s notice (and we mean that as a compliment). Case in point? This understated off-the-shoulder look from 1997, consisting of separates that you can imagine her repurposing for different events. Follow her lead by teaming Alaïa’s sleek off-the-shoulder bodysuit with Saint Laurent’s figure-skimming silk-satin skirt, tying everything together with a red lip, heels and dainty diamonds by Sophie Bille Brahe.

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