It’s Not That Easy to Dress Like Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

I see a lot of discussion about the fact that when she first became a public figure, she was working for Calvin Klein and dressing for work, in a certain way. Then she became a Kennedy, who had her own fashion needs. There is a curiosity about his personal style before working at Calvin. Was the minimalist aesthetic really his taste?

I think it was. She definitely had this interesting tomboyish, sort of jock side while she was in school, but it was still very preppy. It still fell within the same sort of style arc. Friends reported that she returned with a perfect white shirt, while they returned with ten bags purchased from discount stores. I’m sure she’s experimented with different things, but even the recent leaked photos of her from her youth are really interesting because she remains the same. There’s actually no difference in style when you look at it. I think that says a lot about her, the woman, and it speaks to who she was and what she loved.

You talk about it in the book, but what East the Carolyn Bessette style formula?

Everyone is discussing the formula right now, right? I think it’s really about focusing on the basics, the capsule pieces. This word has been brought up so much, but this is basically how I broke the book down: the shirt, the coat…. Get those essential pieces, right? Really, really do your homework. There are ways to adapt this idea to any budget (today there is so much access) and then go to a tailor and have it fit your body perfectly.

What was the mix of luxury brands and more affordable pieces in her wardrobe? What brands does she favor?

Before marrying John, she mixed at APC. She absolutely had to wear Calvin Klein. It was expected of her and it was sort of a requirement, but she wouldn’t wear full Calvin Klein. She wore a white Gap T-shirt, because it was a trend at the time, and there were brands that no longer exist, like Chaiken. She wore what was called “contemporary fashion” at the time. She always loved Petit Bateau and would mix it with her Levi’s or suit pants. I think these are all great examples of her mixing high and low, which she did even when she married John.

On a daily basis, she wore a sort of uniform, which was either a white T-shirt, a white shirt and jeans, or pants and loafers. She stuck to a mix and match formula, but she understood it. She was an incredible editor and knew how to do this incredibly well. She went to the best college possible, right? Working almost side by side with Calvin, and her best friends were stylists and part of the design team there, so her approachability and taste level were off the scale by the time she married John.