With the release of the new show “American Love Story: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,” my obsession with Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (also called CBK) has been reignited, just like most of the audience. For those of you who are not familiar, Bessette-Kennedy was born in White Plains, New York in 1966.
She had a relatively normal background, coming from a middle class family and attending Boston University for Elementary Education to pursue teaching. Shortly after graduating, CBK worked as a salesperson at Calvin Klein. At the time, this was supposed to be a short-term job before moving to her career. Little did she know that this job would change the course of her life.
After transferring to the company’s location in New York, Besette-Kennedy quickly moved up the ranks and would tend to wealthy clients such as Diane Sawyer and Faye Dunaway. It was through this job that she met her future husband, JFK Jr.
He had come in for a fitting and Besette-Kennedy was tasked with helping him find a suit. The two hit it off and began dating in 1994. This caused her to become the center of the paparazzi’s attention and with that, her sense of style became the talk of the city.
Bessette-Kennedy has been the face of 90s minimalism and effortless chic for decades now. However, the truth of her style is far more complicated. CBK found the constant attention of the paparazzi to be draining and invasive, and she often went out of her way to avoid it.
In order to blend in and go unnoticed, she dressed in long fabrics and primarily stuck with black, beige and denim. Besette-Kennedy once famously asked Prada to remove the label of an item before purchasing it, which was unheard of. Â
She almost never showcased labels of brands, and Prada was no exception. This sparked the notion that “money talks but wealth whispers,” which is still a commonly used phrase.Â
Although her style rewrote the essence of quiet luxury, many mistake this to be a reflection of her personal style. The truth is, her minimalism acted as a camouflage and gave her a sliver of normalcy.Â
The tabloids portrayed her as a stone-cold and aloof character that disliked her fame. The topic of how CBK met JFK Jr. was a topic of debate as some thought she had strategically planned meeting her future husband and played it off as a casual coincidence. However, her close friends described her as a genuine and friendly person who just respected her privacy.Â
What makes Besette-Kennedy iconic regardless of the misconceptions, is that she was a self-made woman who valued her individual freedoms and self-expression in fashion. Even in attempts to hide, she still appeared to be stylish, yet comfortable, making it accessible to the public.
Even to this day, her name shows up in trends such as the “clean-girl-aesthetic” since she always had on a headband and a pair of sunglasses on. This is very much in line with the slick back look that has been trending for the past few years.
Most of all, Bessette-Kennedy valued individuality and expression over any fashion trend. So, instead of feeling compelled to follow the next viral fashion trend online, I hope you’ll take inspiration from the great CBK to follow your own path.