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John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy could not step outside of their Tribeca home without instantly making headlines in the 1990s. The high-profile couple—he the son of U.S. president John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, she a publicist for Calvin Klein—became instant icons of New York society, and the story of their budding romance is now the subject of a new Ryan Murphy series, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, premiering on February 12.
During the power duo’s brief yet well-documented relationship—they were married on Georgia’s Cumberland Island in 1996, and later died in a tragic plane accident en route to Martha’s Vineyard in 1999—America became so fascinated with them that the infatuation has never really stopped. Still today, their names are relevant in the cultural lexicon: There remains never-ending speculation around their ups and downs, but that’s nothing compared to the enduring influence of CBK’s perfect minimalist style. “There’s so much mystery about Carolyn. My familiarity with her was through paparazzi images,” says lead star Sarah Pidgeon, who portrays her in the show. “She never sat down for an interview. The acting challenge was taking documentaries or books about her, and trying to find a commonality of how people described her to create the character.”
Of course, the public fascination (and borderline obsession) for a beloved style icon is something that Pidgeon knows all too well. When images of the actor first emerged on set as CBK last year, it did not take take the internet long to share its strong opinions on her new visual portrayal of her. Some felt her costuming (Converse, really?) was totally off; others felt the hue of her blonde locks—a signature CBK element—was all wrong. Pidgeon says she expected the scrutiny, and that she took it to heart. “The online conversations at the beginning of the process served as a reminder of how important it was to get our portrayal of Carolyn correct. She grew even more important to me” says Pidgeon. “People really, really love Carolyn, and my priority every single day on set was doing justice to her legacy.”
That process began by Pidgeon working closely with the movement coach Julia Crockett to get some of her mannerisms down. “Her eyes were a huge center for Carolyn: There was so much energy coming from her eyes,” says Pidgeon. She also collaborated with lead costume designer Rudy Mance—who was brought on to rework the costumes after all the initial online criticisms—to cultivate a wardrobe that felt authentic to CBK’s signature minimalist style.
For starters, Mance and his wardrobe assistants scoured the internet for specific designer pieces that CBK wore during the decade, everything from Yohji Yamamoto to Prada to Hermès Birkin bags. “There were collectors that we were able to pull from—and whether or not it was the actual piece that she herself wore, they wore the same pieces from the same collection,” says Pidgeon. “We found her Prada and Valentino coats, and fitted some Levi’s so that they looked exactly how they fit Carolyn.”
Pidgeon learned that Bassette-Kennedy was a big fan of labels like Calvin Klein (naturally, since she was a publicist there), Prada, and Yohji Yamamoto. “Yamamoto is quoted as saying that he wanted to design clothing that felt like armor for women,” says Pidgeon. “Carolyn wore a lot of Yamamoto to different fundraisers and galas that she and John would attend together.” Given her wardrobe revolved around quiet classics—think great jeans, crisp collared shirts, and dress trousers—the process of costuming CBK for the screen essentially came down to nailing the fit and finer details. Especially the shoes. “The shoes that I got to wear were incredible—Manolo heels, Prada boots,” Pidgeon says. “I got a lot better at walking in heels after the show, I’ll tell you that much.”
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