‘We were trying to be like her’: The cult of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

A new generation is expanding its roster of style icons beyond supermodel Bella Hadid, Kim Kardashian, Hailey Bieber and teenage influencers thanks to a television series based on the tempestuous romance between Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. in the 1990s.

Bessette, the fashion publicist who became an American princess by marrying into a political dynasty, then dying in a plane crash with her husband and sister Lauren in 1999, has become clickbait with the assistance of producer Ryan Murphy’s TV series Love Story, streaming on Disney+.

Countless social media posts appear daily, dedicated to replicating Bessette’s disciplined approach to dressing, and on Tuesday in New York her single-breasted camel Prada coat from 1996, fetched $US192,000 ($272,750) at auction – $227,229 above expectations.

While Millennials and Generation Alpha might move on to the next trend when Paris Fashion Week finishes or Margot Robbie promotes a new movie, for people who lived through the 90s, Bessette’s style is as enduring as Audrey Hepburn, Princess Diana or Jackie Kennedy.

Here is the Generation X style expert’s view of why #CBK should trend forever.

Jillian Davison, former Harper’s Bazaar Australia editor and stylist

In 2000, a year after Bessette died, Davison arrived in New York from Australia to further her styling career. Behind the scenes of photo shoots, photographers and make-up artists were still talking about the style of Bessette and the designers she is most closely associated with: Calvin Klein and Narciso Rodriguez, who created her wedding dress.

“It was the time of Calvin, so all that minimalism was what we were looking at,” Davison says. “Carolyn Bessette was obviously a woman with good taste, but she was really Calvin-ised.”

“So much about her style is that training, the clean, long lines, the minimalism, that elegance.”

Essential wardrobe items in quality fabrics with an emphasis on black, white and neutrals are part of Bessette’s appeal, but Davison says that it takes more than a mix-and-match palette to stand out.

“So many brands today are mimicking those looks, whether it’s Cos or luxury designers, but the personalisation and individualisation of those pieces is key.”

“Minimalism is only interesting when there’s an irreverence. She had it. She was devastatingly beautiful and super-cool.”

Rae Morris, make-up artist and brush creator

Having made her mark applying lip gloss to Naomi Campbell backstage in Turkey in 1993, Australian make-up artist Rae Morris was on her way to becoming an international arbiter of beauty when Bessette began making headlines. For Morris, Bessette’s wedding dress remains a permanent stop on fashion’s timeline.

“It’s like looking at Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” Morris says. “How can you not be inspired.”

“Remember we were still coming out of the ’80s and its shoulder pads. Here nothing was overworked. It looked like she wasn’t trying to prove anything.”

With her platinum hair scraped back, Bessette was the antithesis of the meringue bride embodied by Princess Diana in 1981, appearing at her 1996 wedding in a silk crepe sleeveless slip dress cut on the bias.

“Everything about it was just perfection,” Morris says. “From that moment on, that hair and make-up was the most requested look. I would still use it as a reference today.”

“No eyelashes, no fake nails… everything today is so heavy with so many steps. Not everyone’s going to like simplicity, but for me, she just ticked all the boxes.”

“It’s a matter of taste, and she had it.”

Anthea O’Connor, former Melbourne editor for Vogue Australia and stylist

At stylist Anthea O’Connor’s wedding in 1997, the Bessette aesthetic carried her down the aisle.

“That was peak wedding,” O’Connor says. “It was simple, it wasn’t fussy, it wasn’t traditionally bridal. I was fortunate enough that Fiona Scanlan and Gary Theodore made my dress for me. I didn’t set out to mimic Bessette, but the result was similar. It was pared back and austere.”

Working as a fashion publicist at the time, O’Connor related to Bessette’s working girl wardrobe.

“I spent so long trying to replicate that look of the skirt that was the perfect, generous length and the boots. The boots needed to fit the calf and not gape too much.”

O’Connor is watching Love Story with her 23-year-old daughter, who is now ready to raid her mother’s wardrobe.

“I have pieces from Scanlan Theodore, where I’d worked as a fit model, and some Morrissey Edmiston in storage that fit the bill. It’s new to this generation, but I lived it.”

“With Bessette, you had more personality than a model. She wasn’t trying to be anyone else. We were trying to be like her.”

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