How to dress like Carolyn Bessette, the ultimate ‘It Girl’ of the ’90s

If Lady Di defined the British style of the 1990s, it’s Carolyn Bessette Kennedy who did the same on the other side of the Atlantic.

Though both tragically died within just a couple of years of each other, their style legacy continues to stand strong by crossing borders and timelines to perfectly capture the nostalgia of their original era. And just like Diana came back into the spotlight thanks to Netflix’s The Crown, her American counterpart is coming into our collective consciousness once again, this time due to Ryan Murphy’s latest project.

FILE PHOTO: John F. Kennedy, Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy arrive at the annual John F. Kennedy Library Foundation dinner and Profiles in Courage awards in honor of the former President’s 82nd Birthday, Sunday, May 23, 1999 at the Kennedy Library in Boston, MA. (Photo by Justin Ide)Justin Ide/Boston Herald

The first edition of Murphy’s new anthology series Love Story focuses on the complex relationship between Bessette (played by Sarah Pidgeon) and John F. Kennedy Jr. (played by Paul Anthony Kelly), as well as the media’s turbulent coverage and harassment of the couple. Whether you like Ryan Murphy’s sensationalist, high-stakes approach to storytelling or not, you simply can’t deny the visual impact of Carolyn Bessette. Even in this remade, glossy version of events, her style holds up. Armed with just Bessette’s name, one quick scour through Pinterest results with a whole line-up of looks that seize the effortlessness we all yearn for. It’s nineties fashion at its best – minimal but still full of personality and attitude.

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