It’s a Love Story
The melody from Ryan Murphy’s Love Story loops on repeat in my head, invading my thoughts and making me ask, “What would CBK do?”
CBK is, of course, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy—fashion icon and one half of Murphy’s central love story. No one captures the look of late ‘90s minimalism and restraint in the way that Carolyn did.
She wore her clothes with It-girl elegance (though I’m sure she would have hated that term) and confidence. She shunned labels, mixed high and low, limited pattern and color. She wore the clothes. They didn’t wear her. She entered the room first. They just followed in her wake—the perfect accessories.
A modern-day Audrey Hepburn, Bessette Kennedy is a masterclass in capsule dressing—a look that Murphy and Rudy Mance, the show’s costume designer, nailed with aplomb.
As I began writing What Would CBK Do?—formerly titled When the Doves Cry—the answer clarified. The flat lay crystallized.
The pieces were simple: a white long-sleeve tee, a kick-flare jean, the oval sunglasses Carolyn wore—already in my shopping bag. A soft, structured shoulder bag, label almost invisible—and while The Row didn’t exist in the late ‘90s, Mary Kate and Ashley’s label definitely takes a page (or two) from Bessette Kennedy.
The Highsport jersey kick flare with the Maison Kitsuné cashmere tank top and Gianvito Rossi suede thongs? I can see Carolyn in them—striding fearlessly down the streets of New York, as she did, pausing briefly to light a cigarette—those, too, back in vogue.
What began as Prince’s When the Doves Cry became something else entirely—reshaped by a modern American princess of fashion. Not royalty by title, but by taste.
Carolyn entered first. The clothes followed.
The Edit
Alex Mill Bessette Mid Rise Jean
St. Agni Cotton V-Neck Long Sleeve Top
Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti® Teardrop Earrings
Maison Kitsuné Fine Rib Cashmere Tank Top
Highsport Kick Stretch Geo-Knit Cropped Pants
Gianvito Rossi Suede ThongPrada Oversized Cotton-Poplin Shirt
Prada Embroidered Silk-Chiffon Midi Skirt
Prada Leather Slingback Pump
Loro Piana Roadster Suede-Trimmed Wool and Cashmere Jacket
Toteme Shawl-Lapel Wool Cardigan
Petit Bateau Long Sleeve T-Shirt
The Row Large N/S Park Leather Tote Bag
Selima Optique Aldo Sunglasses
