Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy a style icon?

[narniabusiness]

Recently I’ve seen a lot of references to Carolyn B-K as a style icon and I’m not sure that I fully understand the love. For those who are unfamiliar with her she worked for Calvin Klein, married a Kennedy and died tragically young.
Since the Kennedys seem to be the American equivalent of our Royal family, is it that the gives her a touch of glamour? Especially when combined with her tragic death, like Princess Diana?
Or is it that she really did look more stylish than her contemporaries? Does her frequent referencing in style guides mean that minimalism is having a moment?
Anyone else noticed these frequent references to her style and do you like it or think its unremarkable?

Ofc this turned into a thread recommending a book written by ill-formed Trump supporter and mentioning Meghan Markle.

But anyways even if some people think CBK's everyday style was basic and nothing special, her wedding dress was iconic and changed bridal dresses forever. Before her it was just poofy Princess Diana type of dresses that were always extra and until Carolyn, minimalist bridal wedding styles really did not exist.

She and her mother-in-law are also the only non royals by blood or marriage to have a whole wikipedia page for their wedding dress. Truly iconic.

What do you mean 'Just a haircut'? It was a phenomenon!

Carol Radziwill’s book ‘What Remains’ is good. I bought it as I admire her, but it goes into some detail about the Kennedy as she married one and was a close friend to Carolyn and John.

Wedding dresses of every era follow the style of a fashion icon, usually a princess.

CBK’s wedding dress was iconic but it did not change wedding dresses forever and you can’t dismiss what came before it as ‘just poofy Diana dresses that were extra’.

When Diana got out of the golden carriage the nation yelled ‘its creased to buggery!’ - There was shock, dislike, then a decade of love for ‘poofy’ and extra.

😆

You knew her well and call her Caroline whilst her name was Carolyn?

Well I didn’t believe a word of it even without that.

CBK's wedding dress DID change wedding dresses forever. Nobody was dismissing the Princess Diana poofy type of dresses but prior to CBK's wedding every celebrity/public figure was wearing that 80s type of dress of dress that Diana inspired. Like I'm not just making this up about the impact CBK's dress had on the industry, here's some quotes:

"Bessette's gown was positively received by the public and fashion world alike, with women desperately shopping for wedding dresses similar to Bessette's. Alan Millstein, a fashion newsletter editor, stated "Seventh Avenue hasn't had anything like this since Princess Di's wedding."

The dress has been described as "one of the most iconic wedding dresses of the 90s", and as having "been noted in fashion history as breaking ground for minimalist brides". The dress changed the landscape of wedding gowns by inspiring minimalist designs. i-D magazine said the dress' simplicity "marked a departure from the era's voluminous princess dresses and solidified an emerging trend: the understated slip-style wedding dress". Vogue said the dress "may be one of the most sought-after gowns of all time. [Bessette] hands-down changed the wedding dress game—making it acceptable and desirable to wear something refined and simple: a white silk slip rather than princess-y tulle and an embellished gown." Women's Wear Daily said the gown "shifted bridal fashion into a new, modernist era".

So her wedding dress DID have impact. She didn't need to be a Princess to do it.

I knew who she was in the 90s and thought she was a style icon. Along with Rene Russo and her fab-u-lous wardrobe in The Thomas Crowne Affair. Both had a massive impact on my aspirational wardrobe. Kate Moss not so much - I was never going to pull off waif!

It’s complete fantasy.

I think she had a fairly minimal style years ago when she was alive, when it wasn't as common as it is today, so was seen as a bit different. Style icon is a bit of a stretch imo.

Here’s what some other celebrity brides who got married in 1996 wore, by the way…

I don't recognise those celebs

But I was 14 in 96

"CBK's wedding dress DID change wedding dresses forever. Nobody was dismissing the Princess Diana poofy type of dresses but prior to CBK's wedding every celebrity/public figure was wearing that 80s type of dress of dress that Diana inspired."
Untrue. How about Sarah Chatto"s sublime dress from '94?

Yes because all 3 of those (one with long sleeves and a long veil, another one with a big veil and long dress, and last one with a really long veil and a flower crown) is comparable to this.

Sure just the same thing.

Sarah Chatto's wedding dress still had long sleeves and long veil. It wasn't as poofy as Diana's and other celebrity dresses but it wouldn't have been out of place in that era. I'm not saying that EVERYBODY prior to CBK only wore those type of dresses but her wearing a slip on wedding dress like that (and who she married) was a big deal and did have an impact on changing the trend from poofy dresses to ones that were a bit more minimalist.

OMG I loved Rene Russo's wardrobe in The Thomas Crown Affair.

I desperately wanted to wear Kate Moss's clothes from Topshop but sadly Kate and I are not remotely similar in shape and even then I could see I was going to look dreadful.

However I did have 3 child bridesmaids at my wedding and dressed them all in different dresses as per Kate at her wedding also because I made them and couldn't face doing the same dress 3 times

Well yes, that was my point.

Sarah Chatto dresses beautifully. She manages to look just right.

Yes. It’s all true.
But this is 30 years ago. I never write Carolyn but I do write Caroline often because my neighbour as well as my goddaughter are both called Caroline. So kindly forgive my menopausal brain fart and the fact that I misspelled the name of a person I last saw a lifetime ago. Shit happens.

Vanity Fair seem to think her wedding dress had a bit of an impact...

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/09/25-years-later-carolyn-bessette-kennedys-wedding-dress-still-stuns?srsltid=AfmBOorJjeInetJ5fioCglFLS7VPUGyeISnSS_TygDHKd3kfbcZ62vSj

It is interesting to hear that in person she was beautiful. In photos I always thought she was incredibly underwhelming. Pale, hooked nose, not very attractive eye shape, boring looking. But I know that some people radiate something irl that goes beyond the individual parts that may then up.

many historic great beauties were not particularly special looking for example Cleopatra. But they radiated style and great social skills

@bumbaloo , who would you say was beautiful?

A lot of people aren't photogenic and equally some are like me, better in photos than real life! 😆