Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. From avant-garde minimalism to the eternal wardrobe

The unexpected shape eliminated vogue volumes, and although the result initially clashed with the precepts of the time, the truth is that the protagonist was not given to inconsistencies in terms of taste. Her flowing lingerie dress has gone down in history, in this case designed by Narciso Rodríguez, a friend of the bride and a designer who is still looking for a firm name in the industry.

Simplicity triumphed and would continue, long after that ceremony on September 21, 1996, on the Georgia coast, on Cumberland Island. It’s a girl Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s wedding dress is the quintessential addition to her wardrobe of iconic looks, both classic and seductive, for a minimalism that can withstand the most demanding tests of time. just scroll through the photo gallery above to confirm.

That the formula works is no longer a well-kept secret, much less so than the details surrounding the couple’s wedding, which at the time excited the legion of photographers even more. 25 years after the tragic accident that killed John Kennedy Jr, his wife Carolyn, then 33, and her sister Lauren, from Pinterest to Instagram the feeds, accounts and images revisiting the style of one of the most famous couples in the world are multiplying. USA in the 90s (we imagine there could be many more if by chance the era of smartphones had already begun).

The famous wedding dress of Narciso Rodriguez © DENIS REGGIE 1996

The decade in question was marked by creative audacity and the abolition of rules, which we see re-emerging on the streets today, but it was the quiet sophistication that contributed to the legend. Opting for timeless choices and almost always trusting in the infallibility of the black and white duo, Carolyn transformed the main arteries of New York into an open-air catwalk faithful to the motto “less is more”. It was almost always captured by the “king of the streets”, the independent photographer Lawrence Schwartzwald.

Caught by paparazzi entering or leaving home, in a relaxed look or ready for a formal event, Carolyn has rarely disappointed her followers, still far from the world of clicks and likes. She became, unintentionally, the precursor of a series of current trends, from sunglasses with oval lenses to headbands, from jeans to midi skirts, from maxi winter coats and knitwear to the structured white shirt, and the omnipresent black in all its declinations, cuts and shapes. necklines (with the little black dress on the head). It remains to mention her no less emblematic “no makeup” look.

With a tightly focused capsule collection, Carolyn was known for the modest (and sensible) dimensions of her closet. According to a former assistant, there are no walk-in closets in the couple’s New York apartment, just a space reserved for an upper shelf for sweaters and handbags, an area to hang items, and then shoes and boots on the bottom. And to avoid conflicts of interest with the brands advertised in George, the magazine launched by John Kennedy Jr., she chose labels that did not appear in the publication at all, such as some avant-garde names.

In her 2023 work CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, A Life in Fashion, author Sunita Kumar Nair describes the style of someone who embodied the concept of “quiet luxury” long before the phrase was coined and coddled on social media. In an article for Vogue magazine, Nair recalled the day she met “the new Mrs. Kennedy,” who had just married John John.

Moderation in accessories but with a striking effect, such as the use of a headband or a scarf © Getty Images

“Every outfit captured by the paparazzi was assessed and analysed, whether it was a flawless evening look like a bandeau and cardigan skirt set by Yohji Yamamoto, or the black top, Levi’s 517s and Prada sandals she wore for a walk with her dog on Friday,” the book’s author describes, admitting that fashion students at the prestigious Central Saint Martins continue to this day to examine this finite set of photographs for inspiration.

“She always avoided obvious labels and accessorised her looks in a sentimental way with jewellery from her mother-in-law, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Instead, she mainly preferred the new avant-garde creations from designers such as Yamamoto and Ann Demeulemeester: white tuxedo shirts, peplum jackets and asymmetrical skirts. Her coats? Well, they were all Prada, Prada, Prada. Everyone was delighted,” concludes Sunita. “Her style was not opulent, but it was luxurious. The fact that she had only a few pieces shows how modern she was,” highlights designer Gabriela Hearst in the aforementioned work, associating the spontaneity of the choices with the charisma acquired by Carolyn. Room for a burst of colour? There was that too. With a Valentino stamp, for example, like the model above. Or vintage, with an animal print, bought at a flea market in Paris.

On July 16, 1999, not everything would be rosy in the relationship between the son of the 35th President of the United States and the former Calvin Klein public relations officer, but the world did not stop mourning the disappearance of the young and elegant couple who filled pages and more pages of magazines throughout the five intense years since they met in 1994.

The secret wedding, the iconic looks and the tragic ending: the story of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette will be a series

Heavy traffic delayed the takeoff of the Piper Saratoga II piloted by the heir to the Kennedy clan, who on that tragic night plunged the plane into the Atlantic, off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, where Lauren Bessette, one of Carolyn’s daughters, was. He was expected to disembark. The couple was heading to cousin Rory Kennedy’s wedding in Hyannis Port. JFK Jr.’s inexperience and “spatial disorientation” would later be identified as the main cause of the accident, on a flight whose nighttime conditions made the trip more dangerous. The passengers died instantly but their bodies were recovered just five days later.