All posts tagged: carolyn bessette kennedy

It’s Harder Than It Looks to Replicate Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s Minimalist Style

It’s Harder Than It Looks to Replicate Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s Minimalist Style

Until now, however, Bessette had never come to life on screen (only two very brief videos exist where her voice can be heard). Played on the show by Sarah Pidgeon, audiences on TikTok have gone into a frenzy with appreciations and tutorials showing how to style Besette staples like a white shirt, pencil skirt, and headband. Easy, right? Or…not. The secret to timeless style A black wool sweater, beige coat, and jeans are staples for those looking to copy Carolyn Bessette, but the items alone aren’t enough to come close to the same look. Her sense of personal style and taste are what helped define an aesthetic that persisted through a decade, much longer than a transient trend. Designers such as Prada, Helmut Lang, Calvin Klein, Jil Sander, and Donna Karan all embraced the “less is more” ethos at the time, defining what we now call “quiet luxury” with looks that worked by subtraction, succeeding in the arduous feat of being stark but simultaneously glamorous and sexy. Today, brands like The Row use clean lines …

The Dream of the ’90s Is Alive at New York City’s JFK Jr. Look-Alike Competition

The Dream of the ’90s Is Alive at New York City’s JFK Jr. Look-Alike Competition

Barry, Nathan, and a friendMaddy Rotman Barry informed me that the winner of the competition wore rollerblades—a nice nod to the actual JFK Jr, who was frequently papped blading around Tribeca. But that mysterious man was gone by the time I arrived, roller blading into the sunset with his grand prize of $250 and a new pickup line—“You know, I won a JFK Jr. Lookalike contest.” Maybe he’ll use it next Saturday when he goes barhopping in the West Village, in search of his Carolyn. There were plenty of Bessette Kennedy imitators in the crowd, including Jen Humis and Delaney Driscoll, who say they came to the event looking to bag a JFK Jr. of their very own. “We’re outsourcing,” joked Humis. “We’re boots on the ground, on the scene, taking a look around.” Unfortunately, their boots were late; they missed the competition because they were too busy drinking a pitcher of mimosas to arrive on time. “We saw a few,” said Driscoll of the competitors. “It was a flop, but whatever.” Jen Humis and Delaney …

Inside the Super-Secret, Ultra-Intimate Wedding of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette

Inside the Super-Secret, Ultra-Intimate Wedding of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette

The dinner and reception took place at the Greyfield Inn, a historic building on the island, where the couple celebrated their love amid toasts and laughter. The groom said that with the ring on his finger, he felt like “the happiest man in the world.” Again, to ensure the utmost confidentiality, the couple relied on the inn’s owners, Gogo Ferguson and Dave Ferguson, to handle every detail with absolute discretion. Dave Ferguson, a pilot, also handled the transportation of the guests and the couple to the island to ensure that they would arrive without being noticed. In order to move around the island smoothly, each guest received a special coin: a rare Buffalo nickel, which had to be shown to the security guards as a kind of access pass that allowed free movement in the wedding area. At the reception, there was a DJ, the Macarena was danced, and a three-tiered white wedding cake was cut. The first dance took place to the notes of Prince’s “Forever in My Life,” while Ted Kennedy’s toast moved …

How ‘Love Story’ Recreated John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s Wedding, Down to the Last Cigarette

How ‘Love Story’ Recreated John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s Wedding, Down to the Last Cigarette

The room watched JFK Jr. and Carolyn’s Wedding: The Lost Tapes to get a feel for the order of operations. Listening to attendees share memories from the occasion, we were struck by the joy and reverence and warmth that friends and family of the couple still felt about that weekend 25 years later. We wanted the drama of the wedding episode to mimic the conflict surrounding any wedding, which is to say the drama of logistics. Who’s sitting where? Which friends made the cut for the guest list? Who’s wearing what? Unlike every other episode of the show, this is the one where John and Carolyn are in total lockstep, working as a team to achieve a shared goal. It’s them against the world. It’s the height of their romance, when everything seems possible. The plan was to illustrate this with two moments set to iconic ’90s songs. Moment one: Their dance to the Pulp song “Common People” at the top of the episode. But there was a snag: When it came time to clear …

Kelly Klein: The Muse Who Shaped ’90s Fashion With Her Friend Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

Kelly Klein: The Muse Who Shaped ’90s Fashion With Her Friend Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

Together with Kelly, Calvin Klein took his eponymous brand to the next level. She was the one who came up with the idea of adapting men’s underwear for women. From the casual comment “there’s something sexy about wearing your boyfriend’s underwear” came one of the brand’s best-sellers and iconic designs, generating $70 million in 1984. Kelly Rector became a true reflection of the Calvin Klein woman, one who encapsulated glamour and sophistication in a simple cashmere knit dress. The couple married in 1986 while on a business trip to Rome. She wore an ensemble of silk pencil skirt, matching blazer, and a lace bodice, designed by Calvin. They were married until 2006, when their divorce was made official, although the couple had separated 10 years earlier. Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty Images But beyond being Calvin Klein’s wife or his muse, Kelly now defines herself on her Instagram account’s bio as a “designer, photographer, interior designer, author, ceramacist, and mother.” She has edited seven photography books. The first one, Pools, launched in 1992 at a party in …

‘Love Story’ Premiere Brings Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr. Back to The Pool

‘Love Story’ Premiere Brings Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr. Back to The Pool

It’s almost time to dive into Love Story. Ryan Murphy’s nine-episode series, which chronicles the whirlwind romance and tragic end of John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette- Kennedy, debuts on FX on February 12. On Tuesday, the Love Story cast and crew celebrated the premiere with a glitzy party at a New York hot spot befitting the ’90s It couple. Kelly and Pidgeon at the Pool Stephanie Augello/PictureGroup for FX After a screening at Carnegie Hall, guests were bused over to The Pool, a storied event space and the former home of the Four Seasons restaurant located in Midtown’s historic Seagram Building. Designed by Philip Johnson and opened in 1959, The Pool’s mid-century modern aesthetic harkens back to the New York of the Mad Men age. It’s the birthplace of the “power lunch,” where notables like Barry Diller, Henry Kissinger, Barbara Walters, Nora Ephron, Tom Wolfe, and yes, even Jackie O, were known to dine; it’s also where Love Story shot a pivotal scene for its second episode. (But more on that …

‘Love Story’ Exclusive: First Look at Ryan Murphy’s JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette

‘Love Story’ Exclusive: First Look at Ryan Murphy’s JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette

Kicking Love Story off with Kennedy Jr. and Bessette was Murphy’s idea, though the series was created by Connor Hines, who serves as an executive producer and wrote six of the nine episodes. “There is no American crown. There isn’t a monarchy here. There’s not that culture,” Simpson explains. Unless, of course, you’re talking about the Kennedys. JFK Jr. “came the closest that we ever had to an American prince. We all saw him grow up. We saw him lose his father. We saw him go to college, go to law school. He had the same obsessive following that the princes in England did.” And who could resist telling the story of how America’s prince found his Cinderella? Bessette wasn’t exactly toiling in obscurity before she met her Prince Charming; she grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, after all. But through her own tenacity, talent, and, yes, effortless beauty—she was voted “Ultimate Beautiful Person” in high school—Bessette created a glamorous life for herself in New York. “She was somebody who had been a shopgirl in Boston, …