How I’d Style the Carolyn Bessette Show
A word, Ryan Murphy?
Like most shopping-obsessed people, I worship the ground Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy walked on. She’s the ultimate “quiet luxury” muse and left her mark on fashion history long before we had such silly terms for style. A former publicist for Calvin Klein, she was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, effortlessly chic picture of the ‘90s, mixing luxury brands like Prada, Ann Demeulemeester, and Yohji Yamamoto with more mass-market labels like Gap, L.L. Bean, and Petit Bateau—and defining street style as we know it in the process. I even have a Narciso Rodriguez search saved on my TRR account just because of her wedding dress.
So, you can imagine my excitement on Friday, when I was scrolling through Instagram and saw that Ryan Murphy had revealed a first look at his upcoming FX series American Love Story, which tells the story of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s relationship. “We started shooting this week in New York City and can’t wait until you see the romantic and tragic love story between America’s prince, JFK Jr., and fashion icon Carolyn Bessette,” he wrote in the Instagram caption.
I’m going to stop you right there, Ryan…Actors Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Kelly might physically resemble John and Carolyn (Paul more so), but, as several commenters pointed out, the styling didn’t feel quite right. And the styling is EVERYTHING! Why make the show if you’re not going to get it right??
“Take out the earrings,” wrote
, a Carolyn Bessette fan page with over 100,000 followers. “And lose the Birkin,” someone added. “Where is that Prada 1995 bag she always carries?” asked another. To me, this Carolyn looks a little too much like a West Village Girl. (Any CBK-head knows she’s a Tribeca girl at heart.)If they only just started filming, though, perhaps there’s still time to turn things around… “If Ry*n M*rphy would just give me two hours on TRR, I can get this sorted,” wrote former beauty executive
in a Substack note.When her post started to gain traction, she clarified further: “No Madewell on set. No cropped flares of any kind. Yes to bootcut pants. No thin cheap wool. Yes to wool coats with mod 60s detailing. No EMPTY handbags. No mock necks, yes v-necks. Yes to square toes. Thinner brows, glossy bouncy hair.”
Here here! Because Carolyn’s wardrobe was more accessible than most, her fans feel like they not only understand it intimately—everyone’s a CBK expert—but can also own it themselves. Brands like Sporty and Rich are still recreating her looks for their campaigns, and young TikTokers are flocking to Zitomer to score her affordable tortoiseshell headbands. (A lucky few also bought her actual clothes, like a double-breasted wool Prada coat, from a Sotheby’s auction.) A recent coffee table book on her style is divided into definitive chapters like “The Shirt,” “The Coat,” and “The Beige.” So, three searches on TRR right there!
While I trust that Annie has this covered, I couldn’t help but throw my hat in the ring, too. Below are some pieces I’d suggest that Ryan and his team look into…
Miu Miu double-breasted wool trench coat with a belt. Not Prada, but close enough.
Yohji Yamamoto 1998 skirt suit. The same exact top she wore?!?!
Prada Spazzolato tote bag. The more worn-in, the better.
Square-toe Prada boots. She had brown ones, but these are the most similar in silhouette.
Camel pencil skirt. Hers was a touch longer.
Small round sunglasses. Kind of perfect??
Khaite satin slingback pumps. Almost identical to her Manolos.
If you want to get the look yourself, I’d suggest saving searches for “Prada 1995-98,” “Prada Spazzolato,” “Yohji Yamamoto skirt suit,” and “double-breasted belted wool coat.”
Ryan, let’s have your people talk to my people…
XOXO
The RealGirl
Absolutely PERFECT post!! I had the pleasure of seeing CBK in person walking around Tribeca during my first job at Miramax (gag)!! Changed. My. Life!!!
the yohji set sold, hopefully en route to set 🙏