Why the New JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Show Is Being Branded an 'Utter Betrayal' of Blonde Beauty 

Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's meticulously crafted minimalist image is at the center of a growing backlash over Love Story, the new television drama about her marriage to John F. Kennedy Jr. – with critics branding the portrayal an "utter betrayal" of the blonde beauty's legacy.

Carolyn, who was 33 when she died with JFK Jr. in a 1999 plane crash, were among the most photographed couples of the 1990s.

He was the son of President John F. Kennedy, assassinated in 1963, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who died in 1994.

She was also a Calvin Klein publicist whose pared-back aesthetic helped define Manhattan style in the decade before the term influencer existed.

The new series on their lives, executive produced by Ryan Murphy, and based on Elizabeth Beller's book Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, stars Sarah Pidgeon as Bessette Kennedy and Paul Anthony Kelly as Kennedy Jr. But sills from the production – including a street scene featuring a bandana and baseball cap – have prompted debate about the accuracy of the costumes.

A source close to the fashion community said: "People who understood Carolyn's style are stunned. She was disciplined to the point of obsession about how she presented herself. To reduce that to generic '90s styling misses the entire point of who she was."

The insider continued: "Her look was not accidental or trend-led. It was deliberate minimalism rooted in Calvin Klein's ethos – clean lines, neutral palettes, nothing superfluous. When images surface that suggest a more theatrical interpretation, it feels like the nuance has been lost. That is why some are calling it a betrayal."

Carolyn grew up between New York and Connecticut, the daughter of divorced parents, and graduated from Boston University in 1988 with a degree in elementary education.

After working as a waitress, she joined Calvin Klein and rose to publicity director, where she met Kennedy Jr. in 1992 during a fitting.

They married in 1996 after a proposal on Martha's Vineyard the previous year. Throughout their marriage, they were trailed relentlessly by paparazzi – something Kennedy Jr., once named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 1988, handled with more ease than his wife.

Another source said: "Carolyn struggled with the glare, but she never compromised her aesthetic. Even walking beside John, who could make a duffel coat look tailored, she matched him in restraint and elegance. That balance is very hard to capture on screen."

Carolyn's wardrobe was famously spare – bootcut jeans, black roll-necks, crisp white shirts, slip dresses and column gowns in black, navy or beige.

She favored Prada, Yohji Yamamoto and Helmut Lang, alongside Levi's and Gap, and remained loyal to Calvin Klein, Narciso Rodriguez and Jil Sander. Jewelry was rare, makeup minimal, and her cornflower blonde hair – hand-painted by colorist Brad Johns – became a template copied across Manhattan.

A fashion industry source said: "Her influence has endured precisely because it was so controlled. You can trace today's quiet luxury trend straight back to her. That is why expectations are so high. If you are telling her story, you have to get the clothes right – they were an extension of her identity."

She and JFK Jr. died on July 16, 1999, when the plane JFK Jr. was piloting crashed off Martha's Vineyard, also killing Carolyn's sister Lauren.

In December 2024, items from Carolyn's wardrobe sold at Sotheby's for $177,600, underscoring her lasting cultural impact.