When Ryan Murphy announced he would be revisiting the 1990s romance of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in his upcoming series American Love Story, the internet fell over with excitement. I know I did. Here was a chance to spotlight one of the most obsessively revered figures in fashion and pop culture. She was the chicest of them all. And yet, when the first images of Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn surfaced, something didn’t sit right. Her hair was too polished. The outfits made her minimalist aesthetic look boring (it was anything but). It all felt so very, very wrong.
From the moment Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy emerged in the public eye – blonde, whisper-thin, head-to-toe in black – she became a walking contradiction: very visible and utterly unknowable. As a former Calvin Klein publicist, she embodied the brand’s minimalist vision so seamlessly that it felt like an extension of herself. But her style wasn’t just about clothes. It was about a sensibility. She wasn’t dressing for attention or trend. She was dressing to disappear, to claim privacy in a world that refused to grant her any. Her look was stealth wealth before the phrase even became a thing.
So how, in the age of hyper-archival Instagram accounts and near-religious ’90s fashion revivals, is Hollywood still getting it wrong?
Why Costume Accuracy Alone Can’t Capture Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s Style
The criticism of Murphy’s costuming choices – from the too-cropped trousers to the off-tone blonde – might seem pedantic at first glance. But for those who know, it matters. As The Cut pointed out, what’s missing isn’t just accuracy – it’s authenticity. These aren’t garments that feel lived-in or loved. They feel like replicas, grabbed mindlessly from a Zara rail. The Hermès bag, the hoop earrings, even the classic headband – these details may nod to Carolyn, but they don’t actually feel like her. And that’s the problem.
Part of the challenge, of course, is that Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy didn’t leave us much to work with in the traditional biopic sense. She never gave interviews. She didn’t perform for the camera. She was intensely private, to the point of near-erasure. What we’re left with is a mood board of candid paparazzi shots, grainy sidewalk images, and stolen red carpet glances. But therein lies the magic. Carolyn’s genius was in making the ordinary feel elevated. She re-wore clothes. She bought multiples of the same black turtleneck. She had her Prada tags removed.
Recreating Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s Style Means Understanding Her Philosophy
There’s a reason why modern style obsessives continue to circle back to her. Carolyn didn’t dictate trends. Instead, she reflected a sensibility. Women see themselves in her uniform of narrow tailoring, midi skirts, silk slip dresses, and sleek buns – not because they’re aspirational, but because they’re achievable.
And that’s what makes her so hard to capture on screen. She didn’t do fashion in the way screen storytelling demands. There was no transformation montage, no runway reveal. Her style wasn’t performative. To portray her wardrobe as a parade of “period-inspired” looks is to miss the point entirely. You don’t need exact pieces from Calvin Klein’s 1996 archive (although that would help). What you need is the philosophy behind them – pure effortlessness.
Many of the people who helped shape her iconic image – like Brad Johns, the colourist behind her signature buttery blonde, and Calvin Klein himself – are still around, and yet their expertise seems absent from the screen. The hair is too smooth, too bright. The clothes too stiff, too modern.
Why Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s Legacy Still Resonates With Women Today
There’s something almost sacred about Carolyn’s legacy – something that defies the usual rules of celebrity nostalgia. Like Princess Diana before her, she has become a timeless style icon.
So when American Love Story releases its full season, the costuming alone may not make or break it – but it will say something. Getting Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy “right” isn’t impossible. But it requires far more than an average blonde dye job and a caramel coat that looks like it just walked out of Zara.
