The Story of an American Princess from Manhattan

Magazine / women icons

Carolyn Bassett-Kennedy is a well-known publicist for Calvin Klein and wife of .

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr.

American Cinderella was the girl whose life seemed like a fairy tale, and she herself became the main identity of the American fashion industry in the late 1980s and mid-1990s.

A style that conquered Anna Wintour herself, as well as numerous girls who, to this day, take inspiration from iconic looks created by Carolyn Bassett-Kennedy herself.

WOSK1147 Columnist Jana Lester tells our readers in a new article about the life of a Manhattan beauty who became a style icon and wrote her name into the history of fashion worldwide.

During the holidays, I was inspired to write this article by memories of celebrating New Year's Eve in New York, with my family - I wanted to transport

To Manhattan, to the main symbol of the Christmas spirit - the holiday tree outside Rockefeller Center, to feel the atmosphere of magic and to plunge into the romance of the iconic movies.

Also, the December cover of NEW YORK magazine was iconic for me - inspired by the aesthetics of the metropolis, the name of the woman who became an identification of the true spirit of New York, its style and love of freedom, popped up in my mind!

"Master of the Manhattan minimalism" - according to "Vogue" magazine: so, the style icon - Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.

Carolyn was born in a small town: White Plains, New York, an hour's drive from Manhattan, to an average American family:.

mother an administrator in a public school, father a carpenter, Carolyn was the third daughter.

She grew up a shy kid, but her classmates spoke of her as a lovely person, and in college she was already the girl who never missed a party.

Everyone noted the incredible energy of the girl and the aftertaste from communicating with her: everyone felt special - that look of blue eyes, in which there was genuine sincerity from the joy of meeting, as well as, her infectious laughter and wit.

Carolyn was the perfect example of

"Self-made woman"-after graduating from college, she took a job as a saleswoman at a Boston mall and rose to become director of marketing at the largest store in Manhattan: Calvin Klein.

Many were delighted with her style and charm, later the chief sales manager recommended her to the famous clients of the fashion house as a mentor in matters of style.

The main elements of her image were a restrained color scheme: black, white, beige - and a laconic cut, which is certainly timeless.

A well-groomed face, clean skin, minimalist makeup, impeccable styling - Carolyn knew exactly how to make sure she was the center of attention, not the clothes she chose for her everyday looks.

She was the girl who conquered at first sight - she fell in love with everyone...

So began the main romantic story of her life with the son of the President of the United States - John F. Kennedy Jr.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr.

son of John F. Kennedy, tragically assassinated in public view, by a rifle shot, while they were traveling in the presidential limousine with his wife Jacqueline Kennedy - John Jr.'s life since infancy has been under intense public and media scrutiny, his personal life, of course, was no exception.

John and Carylin first met in 1992 at a Calvin Klein brand event, at which time he was still in a relationship with actress Daryl Hannah....

From the recollections of John's personal assistant, Rose Marie: "- She was different from the typical beauties you'd see in Manhattan. She didn't try to impress, I'd even say she didn't try at all. She was exactly the kind of girl John would have liked" - John reportedly called Carolyn and she didn't call back, which of course he didn't like, but it only made him more excited: after all, women had never said no to Kennedy before..

Two years later, John and Carolyn began a relationship and all the media attention was on them.

At the time of college Carolyn had a desire to try her hand at modeling - she even made herself a portfolio, but when faced with the real paparazzi - shooting every step: the close attention of photographers, journalists and reporters - it became a tough test for her.

She refused any magazine shoots and various interviews.

Carolyn complained to her friend Carol Radziwill, saying that the only way to avoid pesky photographers was to leave the house at 7:00 a.m.

After her engagement to John, she resigned her job and worried that whatever she did and whatever new position she got, all her merits, from now on, would be attributed to her new position and Kennedy's influence.

Being Kennedy's companion is a job where you feel inadequate for the position: it so happened that in their family women were the beautiful shadow of their men and their opinions were simply not considered, but John did not want to repeat this scenario - he was truly in love and wanted a woman by his side who would be his support, someone with whom he could share his thoughts and get advice.

Their wedding took place in September 1996, on the small island of Georgia, in a wooden chapel.

The level of secrecy worthy of a James Bond movie: the only way to get to the island was by helicopter or steamboat - to avoid undue attention, the official statement was that they were on vacation in Miami.

The ceremony itself was attended only by family, relatives, and one, the only photographer who took this iconic picture, which later spread around the world.

Carolyn's dress completely changed the idea of wedding dresses, serving as a fashion coup and creating a bombshell effect: all the girls in the world, after the wedding of Diana and Prince Charles in 1981, dreamed of a dress with a large neckline: "Iconic dress" - instead Catherine, breaking all ideas of the ideal wedding dress, chose a laconic, white, but very elegant dress.

It looked bold and fresh, a look that matched Carolyn's style: minimalist, noble, and, with the glitz and glamour of her new status.

A little note:

"Meghan Markle, in an interview with Glamor magazine, talking about her choice of wedding dress, said that she was inspired by Carolyn's dress: " - Everything goals!" - Classic and elegant.

Уникальной способностью Кэролин было умение создать новую трактовку классической одежде, другим девушкам было сложно конкурировать с этой непринужденностью и, одновременно, роскошью.

Carolyn's unique ability was the ability to create a new interpretation of classic clothes, other girls had difficulty competing with this casualness and, at the same time, luxury.

For the gala at the Museum of American Art, she turned a classic white shirt into a chic evening gown, adding a tiered skirt, black sandals, and a gold beaded clutch. A look in which all the attention is directed to Carolyn, and the clothes are only the perfect frame for the main gem of the evening.

Carolyn's influence on the fashion industry was impressive, for example: Anna Wintour herself tried to get her for the cover of "Vogue", and designer Ralph Lauren dreamed of making her a brand ambassador and gave orders to his assistants: "Every time you create something, think of Carolyn Besset.

However, life is not a fairy tale, the heroes of this story had their difficulties:

Carolyn refused to have children, which caused conflicts with John, while John dreamed of having a son and even thought of a name: Flynn..

After the wedding, Carolyn became depressed and even refused to leave the house: the media scrutiny depressed her - while John was basking in the media attention: for him, popularity was a symbol of power.

The perfect fairy tale began to crumble:

Carolyn's addiction to cocaine, her insecurity and fear of losing John, made her paranoid.

She manipulated, controlled John, broke up with his close friend, and was jealous even of his sister.

Then rumors spread about her cheating on John, and Carolyn, on purpose, provoked him by telling him, in a fit of anger, about her relationship with her former lover, but then admitted that it was a lie...

John, of course, forgave - breaking up with her was like death to him..

Till death do us part…

A plane crash on July 16, 1999, took the lives of three people at once:

John, Carolyn, and her older sister, Lauren.

John himself was at the controls of the plane: according to the investigation, the reason for the crash of the plane was the weather conditions, due to which, John failed to cope with piloting: it was foggy and dark night.

The story of Cinderella and her Prince Charming ended tragically, but their fame and popularity as one of the most beautiful couples will remain long in history, and maybe, like their love story, forever..

Jana Lester - actress, model, columnist for wosk1147 magazine