CNN’s Kate Bolduan talks to The Washington Post’s style critic, Rachel Tashjian, about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s style and how it remains fashionable today.

New York

John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy were widely recognized as style icons in the 1990s, attracting significant media attention for their fashion choices. Their approach to style, characterized by minimalism and a utilitarian sensibility, marked a departure from the more elaborate trends of their era and contributed to a lasting influence on American fashion.

Fashion critic Rachel Tashjian highlighted how the couple's understated style, particularly Carolyn's simple yet impactful wedding gown, set new standards for modern elegance. Their preference for accessible, everyday looks—such as jeans, T-shirts, and practical accessories—continues to resonate in contemporary fashion, demonstrating the enduring appeal of their personal aesthetic.

JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s timeless style

John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy were one of the biggest it couples of the 90s. Paparazzi followed their every move from the streets of New York to the red carpet and beyond. Even their private wedding marked a major fashion moment, ushering in a new era of bridal style. From their beginning until sadly their tragic end, their lives and their style sparked a fascination and lasting influence on American style that is still seen today. Joining me right now to talk about that influence is Washington Post fashion critic, Rachel Tashjian. It's really good to have you here. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you for joining me. Just before we jump into specifics, what is it, Rachel? What is it about them as a couple or their style as individuals that has just made them so iconic and so timeless? Well, I think what the two of them share, aside from glamor and incredible good looks, is a kind of commitment to minimalism and a utilitarian way of dressing that was sort of unseen at that level of celebrity in the United States. And the reason it endures is that, you know, it was able to sort of, both of them were able to integrate their ideas of what it meant to look fabulous, powerful, glamorous, into this idea of being like a working person who was living in New York City and taking the subway and riding their bike. To me, it always was kind of like the beginning of my kind of fashion memory of what now has become kind of the trying, not trying fashion trend, right? Like Carolyn Bessette and the way she would look with just even just jeans and a T-shirt walking down the streets of Manhattan when I would see an image of that was something that really influenced me. It's just the way, is that what it embodies? Is it also just kind of, I don't know, there was this mystique around them as well. There was a little distance. You could never really get into Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and even though they were so public. Well, I think, you know, they were very public, but they also were obsessed with privacy. And, you know, the way that she dressed, I mean, I think a lot about Princess Diana and the way that she was maybe setting herself off from Princess Diana and that much more outsized glamor. Yeah. You know, that like dynasty dye, lots of rhinestones, lots of embellishments. And then you have Carolyn who is walking through the streets of New York, often wearing flip-flops, carrying an Hermes Birkin bag on the subway. I mean, that is in many ways, just a lot more accessible and attainable to women. And again, it's much more modern. I mean, this is still the way that women dress today. Wedding style is always kind of a sign of the times. Yes. And what Carolyn Bessette did with her wedding gown is just, I mean, it's still, you see it, almost the same exact design and style still today. We're showing just that simple, that silk, that very simple- Column. Yeah, that column, exactly, dress essentially. It was just, I mean, it could not be more simple and could not have left a bigger impact. Right. Well, I think what's funny is we look at, we might look at it now and think, oh, that's nice because so many things look like this today. Exactly. But it's interesting to think about, again, Princess Diana, that was the wedding dress of the 20th century. Talk about a difference, right? And it was this woman in this, coming out of this fairy tale horse and carriage in an enormous, richly embellished dress that was all about indulging fantasy and fairy tales of royal life. And then you have Carolyn Bessette Kennedy making this dress with her friend Narciso Rodriguez, who she met while she was working at Calvin Klein. And it could not have been simpler. There's no embellishment. There are no ruffles, nothing. It is a simple white bias-cut column dress. And I think, you know, it's interesting, again, to contrast it with Diana, because you see this kind of American fairy tale happening, which is something we always attach to the Kennedys. And she's sort of saying, rather than embodying some past fantasy or fairy tale fulfillment, I am going to do a clean slate and look forward to the future. There's also a lot of lesson in that. Like, that still endures today about your personal style is a statement of, it's more than just a statement of your style. It's a statement of who you are and what you believe. Exactly.

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