An article by Palina Zapylenova
In 2021, Ryan Murphy announced the release of two new franchises that will be part of the American Story universe: American Sports Story and American Love Story. In the first case, he brought viewers a story focused on the rise and fall of former NFL player Aaron Hernandez, which premiered on September 17, 2024. For the love story, he chose one of the most famous not only in America but also around the world, namely the relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. The series is scheduled to premiere in February 2026, but in June of this year, the first footage from the set became available to viewers. Even though the series has not aired yet, there is already immense critical discourse around the show, especially within the fashion community. So what’s wrong?
JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy.
A true love story
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette met in the early 1990s. She was a PR manager for Calvin Klein, and he was the publisher of George magazine, better known as America’s favorite son and the son of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. According to various sources, they met in 1993-1994 at a sports club or at one of the charity events, and began dating around 1994. While little was known about the couple at the beginning of their relationship, after their wedding on September 21, 1995, on the remote island of Cumberland in Georgia, by candlelight and surrounded by family, they became the focus of American journalists’ cameras.
The lovers had no choice; her husband’s status did not allow Carolyn to remain unnoticed, which she wanted very much. They were forced to appear in public, and at the same time, they were in the press. Journalists did not leave them alone even in their own home in Tribeca. According to numerous memoirs about the life of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, the media intrusion into their personal lives was one of the main reasons for the problems in their relationship and also prompted Carolyn to leave her position at Calvin Klein in the spring of 1996.
The couple’s lives were tragically cut short on 16 July 1999, when a light aircraft piloted by John F. Kennedy Jr. crashed off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in the Atlantic Ocean. The crash also claimed the life of Carolyn’s older sister, Lauren. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the crash was: “The pilot’s inability to maintain control of the aircraft during a nighttime water landing, which resulted from spatial disorientation. Light fog and a dark night were contributing factors.” The bodies of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy were cremated, and their ashes were scattered from the Navy ship USS Briscoe near the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.
It was impossible to avoid recognition.
The only way Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy managed to limit media access to her personal life was by repeatedly refusing interviews and photo shoots for magazines. All the general public had to settle for were paparazzi photos. But it was thanks to them that Carolyn went down in fashion history as one of the first and most canonical adherents of the quiet luxury style characterized by…
A minimum of jewellery. One of the most memorable features of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s style was either a complete absence of jewellery or a minimal amount of it. Apart from her wedding ring, which was often discussed for its simplicity, she might complement her look with a string of pearls. Despite this, there were two accessories that nearly invariably complemented Carolyn’s looks: a tortoiseshell headband from a french pharmacy called C. O. Bigelow in the west village of NYC and oval sunglasses called Aldo by Selima Optique (the brand later named one of its models Carolyn in her honour).
Statement outerwear. In keeping with the overall calm and neutral colour palette of her outfits, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s outerwear was mainly black and camel. However, she allowed herself to experiment with fabrics, prints and sometimes even colour. We can recall the ruffled Yohji Yamamoto coat she wore to the ‘Newman’s Own’ George Awards, or the red plaid Prada she wore out and about in New York City.
Shoes. In everyday life, Carolyn preferred classic flat loafers, sandals, heeled pumps, and mules. But we can’t forget about her knee-high boots, usually in black or brown, which once again reflected the main colour palette in Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s clothing. Her choice of flip-flops might seem quite unexpected, but considering we are not talking about sports ones and rather her black leather ones, they were actually on theme. Today, Carolyn might have appreciated the rubber tongs from The Row. She rarely appeared in public in trainers, but when the occasion arose, her choice fell on Adidas.
Jeans. Jeans were an integral part of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s wardrobe, straight or slightly flared, and in deeper shades of . Carolyn’s clothes never featured brand logos, which makes it a little difficult to determine which brands she might have worn, but based on her preferences and lifestyle, we can assume that they were one of the following models:
Levi’s 501 – The straight-leg fit matches many of her street style looks
Calvin Klein Jeans – She worked at Calvin Klein, so denim from the brand was a natural choice.
The Gap (Classic Straight) – Popular in the mid-90s for minimalist wardrobes.
Helmut Lang – Known for refined, tailored denim in the ’90s minimalist scene.
Black dress. In an attempt to avoid media attention, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was often seen wearing the same little black dress at various events, including The 1999 Fire & Ice Ball in Los Angeles and Earlier NYC charity functions. She styled her hair differently and changed her shoes and outerwear, but the dress itself remained the same. According to media speculation, the dress is believed to be either Narciso Rodriguez or Calvin Klein, both labels she wore frequently. She hoped that this would bore the paparazzi and they would leave her alone, but this gesture had the opposite effect and only added iconicity and significance to Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s image in the fashion world. This dress can also be seen as a sign of protest against her husband, John F. Kennedy Jr. In JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography, authors Liz McNeill and Rosemary Terrencio mention that he hated the colour black, especially for this dress, and always asked Carolyn not to wear it. However, as we can see, he was unable to overcome his wife’s rebellious spirit. No matter what happened in Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s life, her appearance reflected who she was and could not be manipulated.
Why American Love Story is not fitting in
The image created by Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, despite its simplicity, could by no means be called ill-conceived. In many aspects, it could be considered ideal, from the combination of colours and materials, carefully selected accessories, and even hairstyles. She did not allow a single hair to fall out of place. However, footage from the filming that appeared on 22 June caused viewers to doubt the picture. Without access to the plot, all the public can talk about is the characters’ images, which in the case of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy is one of the key details of her iconic status. Here are some of the nuances that do not match Carolyn’s image.
The actress playing Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Sarah Pidgeon, is a natural brunette, but after she dyed her hair for the role, the public could not deny her resemblance to the icon of the ‘quite luxury’ style. Despite this, her hair still became a topic of discussion. Whether it was a low ponytail, a bun or loose hair, Carolyn’s perfect blonde hair was always styled hair by hair, a real clean girl. But in some photos from the shoot, we see something more like beach waves, which do not fit into the Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy image at all. As well, there were a lot of complaints about the inaccuracy of the shade of Sarah Pidgeon’s blonde. That’s, among the others, just a detail, but not that small for Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy iconic image.
Carolyn paid a lot of attention to bags. She was most often seen with the Prada Spazzolato Tote, which the brand reissued in 2022 under the name Carolyn, or the Hermes Birkin 40. On vacation or when traveling, she took the L.L. Bean Boat and Tote with her. Simple and concise designs, spacious volume, but no shapelessness. The tote bag that Sarah Pigeon appeared with in one of the shots from the shoot or the Birkin 35 bag are very different from what fans of the Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy style are used to. The same unsatisfactory comments can be found regarding the choice of outerwear. The camel coat that Pidgeon appeared in caused outrage due to its cheap material and fit, which is far from the perfectly tailored Carolyn’s coat from Prada.
As for shoes, while sandals and moccasins passed the audience’s test, no one expected to see Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in Converse, especially with a skirt. It cannot be denied that such a pair could have been part of Carolyn’s wardrobe, but no photo in the media confirms this. Although this model was at the peak of its popularity in the 90s, including among celebrities such as Kate Moss, such sneakers did not fit into her aesthetic at all. They are vastly different from Carolyn’s elegant wardrobe, and they also have a company logo that is hard to miss as it literally takes up half of the outside of the shoe. It’s hard to imagine that Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, who refused to use any logos, would wear something like Converse.
Although Ryan Murphy explained that these were only test shots and they are still working on the wardrobe, it is surprising to see such discrepancies, even if it is just for testing the colour palette. He assured us that we will definitely see Birkin 40, Prada bags and Manolos heels, along with other archival items from Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s wardrobe. Sarah Pidgeon said in an interview with People Magazine: ‘People have strong feelings about her — I understand that. We’re still in the early stages and taking care to do her justice.’ Let’s hope that in the end, the team will succeed in recreating the quite luxury style of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, thanks to which she was remembered by the world, because that’s what they promised us.
The Violet Post
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