Ever since she made headlines for her affair with John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette has been considered an unparalleled style icon. The Calvin Klein PR, the epitome of the most sophisticated and effortless minimalist chic of the 1990s, is now once again at the center of the conversation thanks to the series American Love Story, created by Ryan Murphy and starring Sarah Pidgeon. Her character is thus returning to the glamour that, in fact, had never left.
Everything about her has become a trend: the hair color, the headbands, the oval-rimmed sunglasses, the looks, and of course the wedding dress. According to some rumors, it will be the wedding itself-which was reportedly almost interrupted by a fashion emergency, but denied in this interview by Narciso Rodriguez himself-the starring moment of the next installment of the series, coming out on Disney+.
Of the wedding between Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr. very few photographs exist, complicit in the great secrecy and intimacy with which it was celebrated. Nearly 30 years later, the dress created by Narciso Rodriguez, who had started his career right at Calvin Klein, continues to be a landmark.
The designer talked about it with The Cut to clarify some aspects of the project. “I made Carolyn’s wedding dress, which had great visibility and drew a lot of attention to my work in Paris. Then I was approached by several people from LVMH to collaborate, which I did, and later I had the opportunity to launch my own collection. It was very successful for many years and I really enjoyed it. But it was difficult: I was working between New York, Paris and Madrid, living out of a suitcase. It was exhausting and I saw very little of my friends. When John and Carolyn passed away, I felt the need to come home, stop and stabilize.”
Right there he had met Carolyn: “She was simply the beautiful girl at Calvin’s. We used to hang out a lot. I happened to be looking for an apartment: a real estate agent called me and said there was a great one, and I had to see it right away. I ran over and it was in the same building she lived in. I went back to the office and told her, “I just got an apartment in the same building as you.” She replied, “What!” From there our relationship grew even stronger, because we practically lived next door to each other.”
As for the inspiration for the dress, he explained that Carolyn herself was the main source: “We talked about something not too elaborate. I tried to get her to design with me several times, but she would always find an excuse to walk the dog when I arrived with the notebook. I went to Paris and worked on some dresses, which she liked. She lowered the neckline, and that was it. It was a really simple meeting of minds. We knew each other so well, and she was so beautiful that I knew what to enhance.”
He added, “While I was working in Paris, I had become friends with Azzedine AlaĂŻa, the master of bias suits. I asked him to see what I was doing. He tried hard to find out who the dress was for, but of course I didn’t tell him. He suggested that I move the seams half an inch. It was a real labor of love, taken care of in every detail-from the gloves to the veil-to make it perfect for her.”
“No pressure, because I was creating it for my best friend and thought no further. But coming home from the wedding, there were TV crews outside my apartment-I never imagined it would become what it is today (…) It was a personal and beautiful moment. It was not about the dress. I was not aware of it. I was celebrating my friend’s wedding.”
[📸 Getty Images]
