John F. Kennedy Jr and wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy walk their dog in Tribeca, New York City, on Dec. 20, 1997.Globe Photos/Zuma Wire/Supplied
For his latest project, TV producer Ryan Murphy set out to dramatize the story of a couple who defined an era: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr., the magnetic twosome whose romance filled tabloids and gripped the public imagination in the 1990s.
Love Story, which premiered last month, traces their courtship and iconic wedding, but the production’s biggest drama played out behind the seams. In recreating the duo’s curated world, a stylish homage nearly became a disastrous flop.
The couple take a morning walk in 1996.Globe Photos/Zuma Wire/Supplied
When FX released early stills of Canadian actor Paul Kelly as Kennedy and Sarah Pidgeon as Bessette Kennedy, the internet reacted instantly – and brutally. Rather than drawing fashion lovers into a glossy portrayal of the era-defining couple – often referred to as JFK Jr. and CBK – the images sparked intense criticism, with fans claiming that the wardrobe was off-brand and out of touch.
Fashion writer Danya Issawi of the Cut summed up the backlash: “These garments look too much like modern-day replicas of their ’90s counterparts; the cigarette slacks far too cropped, the leather jacket far too stiff, the Hermès bag dangling from Pidgeon’s wrist lifeless and unworn.”
Costume designer Leah Katznelson exited. Producers faced a tall order, as articulated by designer Gabriela Hearst in Vanity Fair: “CBK is the closest thing America ever had to its own Princess Diana.” Authenticity was imperative.
Carolyn Bessette shops in Soho, New York, in 1996.KEN KATZ/Supplied
Costumer Rudy Mance, acclaimed for his work on Broadway’s current revival of Death of a Salesman, was brought on to recalibrate the wardrobe. The process involved tapping a mysterious, as-yet-unnamed Canadian clothing collector, who goes by @thecollector_cbk on Instagram, and borrowing more than 30 items from their personal archive. The account chronicles Bessette Kennedy’s fashion choices – from Manolo Blahniks worn to charity events to off-duty white T-shirts (some taken from JFK Jr.’s closet), as well as a range of Calvin Klein and Prada pieces that took her from boardrooms to cocktails as both a PR executive and partygoer.
One of Mance’s first moves was to consult former W magazine editor Sunita Kumar Nair, whose 2023 book, CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion, has become the definitive guide to Bessette Kennedy’s style.
CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion, by Sunita Kumar NairSupplied
The highlight of the book is a deconstruction of Bessette Kennedy’s wedding dress – an elegant slip by Narciso Rodriguez – and an examination of how her nuptial style challenged then-current norms. Fern Mallis, former executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, said of the look: “She literally changed the bridal industry as she walked down those church steps. Everyone wore slip dresses then, but to make it your wedding dress? In it she wasn’t showy… but she was still sexy and seductive. She dared you to do that. That is her legacy.”
After two years of researching Bessette Kennedy’s wardrobe, Nair developed a deeper understanding of her sensibility. That immersion shaped both the book and Love Story, with scenes reflecting the publicist’s most iconic pieces: white menswear-inspired dress shirts (“her magnum opus in simplicity,” writes Nair), minimalist heels and separates that reclaim the plain-Jane archetype.
Bessette Kennedy’s style also opposed the posh stiffness of her in-laws, John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy. Nair called it an act of rebellion “before quiet luxury even existed.” That attitude is resonating with a new generation of women discovering CBK through Love Story and social media.
“There’s so much pressure today for young women to be liked,” Nair said. “It’s counted on in clicks and through your outfits that there’s actually no real return to self. Carolyn’s looks are so accessible and easily doable from stores that aren’t high-end, and they say so much about who she is.”
John Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette leaving their apartment to attend a gala celebrating the reopening of Grand Central Station after restoration in New York City on Oct. 5, 1998.Paul Adao/INFphoto.com/Supplied
Bessette Kennedy’s pared-down, repeatable wardrobe is the opposite of the ’90s-inspired runways of today, which favour ornate, layered and theatrically bold pieces. “She was able to embrace what she likes and what represents her, and that may be what so many people are now gravitating toward rather than busy trends.”
After Mance’s recalibration, Love Story not only avoided further backlash but found its audience, reaching the No. 1 spot on Hulu. Interest in Nair’s work also surged. The writer receives many messages from younger viewers discovering CBK’s style and confidence for the first time. “It’s not just about the clothes – CBK’s essence is about making women feel positive, in charge and direct when it comes to their lives.”
Part of the fascination lies in the contrast between CBK’s world and the New York nightlife of the ‘90s, dominated by Deee-Lite’s flamboyance, Madonna’s dominatrix-era glamour and Patricia Field’s maximalism. In that context, Bessette Kennedy embraced peak Calvin Klein minimalism: pencil skirts, black trousers, monochrome outfits and unadorned knits. Her tousled hair and jewellery-free looks were counterpoints to her own decade.
What once seemed uncomplicated now reads as radical. For the TikTok generation navigating algorithmic pressure to perform style online, Nair said CBK’s restraint feels refreshingly effortless and free from fleeting trends. “If CBK were around today, I highly doubt she’d even have an Instagram account. You got the sense that what she wore wasn’t for show; it was for her.”
