TikTok has birthed its fair share of style trends, but there’s one icon who was nailing rich girl hair and the old money aesthetic decades before Hailey Bieber or Sofia Richie laid claim to it.
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s minimalist elegance has made her a muse of many a designer and a fixture of countless Pinterest moodboards. But nearly 30 years down the line, when even a dedicated team of TV stylists can’t seem to recreate her look, we’re left wondering just what it is about the style of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (or simply CBK) that is so enduring yet so hard to pin down.
Imitation As Flattery
When images from the set of American Love Story, Ryan Murphy’s upcoming take on Bessette-Kennedy and JFK Jr.’s romance, were made public, some were dismayed. Murphy’s recreation of Bessette-Kennedy’s style drew criticism from fans and friends of CBK, who collectively felt the homage was lacklustre, and failed to do justice to the style icon.
There is much to unpack in the public’s enduring love for Bessette-Kennedy’s style. While Murphy’s errors might be rectified with a closer eye for details—and a few more blonde highlights—emulating CBK continues to be elusive for the average fan.
Minimalism is simple on the surface, but it also offers little in the way of distraction. When there’s nothing to hide behind, the basics become paramount—tailoring, fabrics, and even hair and skincare. CBK’s pieces may have been oversized, but they were never the wrong size. Similarly, her signature buttery blonde hair, even when deliberately undone, was never dull or dry, and her face was rarely made up, but perpetually glowy. Mastering the basics of her style is the first and possibly highest hurdle to cross, as it requires an attention to beauty and fashion that must be built from the ground up. Many a CBK devotee might have thrown an oversized button-down over day-old hair and wondered why it wasn’t giving quiet luxury, and the answer likely lies in the lack of attention to the basics.
The distinction also lies in a loyalty to your personal style. Aside from Bessette-Kennedy having access to the world’s premier designers and hairstylists, she also dressed to flatter her willowy figure and striking features, and was unwaveringly steadfast in her tastes. In a rare interview, she confessed her aversion to “ornate” looks and her affinity for simple and basic styles. These were codes from which she never strayed, even on her wedding day, showing a commitment to style identity that is increasingly rare in the era of micro-trends and fast fashion.
Read on to look back at some of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s best style moments, and at what makes her quiet elegance so captivating.
Wedding Bells, Courtesy Of Narciso Rodriguez
Designed by a then little-known Narciso Rodriguez, CBK’s wedding dress perfectly encapsulated her dedication to nailing the basics. The dress was a sharp departure from the ornamented clouds of satin that were the defining bridal style of the era. Of the scant few images released to the public, the most iconic one captures the newlyweds strolling hand-in-hand out of the chapel. Pictured mid-stride, it’s unmistakable how the silk crepe gown fits Bessette-Kennedy like a glove through the waist and hips, without compromising on movement as it flows beautifully into a bias-cut skirt. The characteristic simplicity of her updo, makeup, and tulle accessories belied the painstaking effort behind the look—it required multiple alterations, and the bride was famously late to her own wedding as the dress was taken in for a final time that same morning.
Quietly Cool In Yohji Yamamoto
While Coco Chanel lived by the maxim of taking one thing off before leaving the house, one would think CBK never deigned to put on the offending extra accessories. This spare and elegant evening wear look by Yohji Yamamoto, one of her most loved designers, paired a crisp white button-down with a sleek black maxi skirt. Next to John-John’s classic tuxedo, the look’s feminine touches in the form of a ruffled mermaid skirt and embellished gold clutch are highlighted, showcasing the subtle contrasts between masculine and feminine that came to define CBK’s style.
Statuesque In Custom Versace
This white tweed Versace look for the 1998 Fire and Ice Ball is another CBK classic, and for good reason. The full-sleeved coat dress is tailored to perfection. The stiffness of the fabric combined with a form-fitting silhouette creates a statuesque effect, as if the gown had been carved out of marble. Combine it with the CBK signature red lip and sleek hair combo, and the effect is quietly stunning.
Everyday Luxury In Vintage Leopard Print
Pairing coats with straight-legged jeans and a turtleneck, as CBK often did, allowed the pieces to make a statement without becoming the centre of conversation. Leopard print is now more commonly associated with the ultra-feminine, maximalist mob wife aesthetic than it is with 90s minimalism, but CBK made this double-breasted coat something of a personal signature. Bessette-Kennedy originally discovered the faux-leopard piece at a London flea market, and would often rotate between it and a selection of Prada and Yohji Yamamoto coats to walk her dog down New York streets. Over two decades later, in 2024, three of these coats fetched a cool US$177,000 at a Sotheby’s auction—call that the CBK touch.
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