The Costume Designer For ‘Love Story’ Used Luxury Vintage To Save The Show From Near Fashion Misfire
Fashion
Rudy Mance sourced real '90s vintage to style It-couple Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr. in "Love Story." We've compiled inspired shopping edits below.
When Rudy Mance took over the costuming for the Ryan Murphy-produced TV dramatization of John F. Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette’s romance, “Love Story,” he entered into a digital warzone. Last year, the internet reacted vehemently against the first handful of behind-the-scenes photos released to the public. Carolyn’s hair was too blonde and her bootcut 517s looked right off the rack of a Levi's flagship. “Shein Camelot,” one user quipped in the comment section of the @diet_prada account, where a handful of high-profile costume designers and fashion journalists chimed in with similar criticisms. Something needed to change, and it needed to change fast. In response to the internet uproar, Murphy reached out to his long-time collaborator to take over the sourcing and styling. The rest was eBay-scoured Yohji Yamamoto history… or so the Vanity Fair story goes.
If the scandal surrounding the show’s early stab at costuming taught us anything, it is that resurrecting a beloved fixture of ‘90s fashion is not for the faint-hearted. So little is known about Bessette—who deliberately avoided interviews and shielded herself from the press—that she exists almost entirely as an image to the American cultural consciousness. And without any insight into her internal world to complicate that image, the internet has come to fervently defend its aesthetic preservation. The clothes must look lived-in but taken care of, the sweaters oversized but well-proportioned.
Fittingly, Mance’s fictionalized Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon) is first presented to the viewer in Hermes-belt-adorned khakis, a black button-down, black oval sunnies, and a worn-in black Birkin: an emblem of taste, luxury, and understated wealth. In an effort to satiate the many diehard CBK appreciators of this world, the designer behind “Monster,” “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans,” and “Doctor Odyssey” went full-on eBay-sleuth mode, searching for the exact designer pieces worn by Bessette. Because fast-fashion dupes just won't cut it in Camelot.
Get the CBK Look
The minimalist allure of Bessette’s style, informed by her job working for a Kate-Moss era Calvin Klein, comes from quality and fit. Though her silhouettes may seem easy enough to replicate—an oversized black leather bag flung into the back of a car, tailored khaki trousers—her pieces cannot be duped from any name-brand retailer. Bessette’s style looks expensive because it is; the fashion mogul was often photographed wearing Prada, Hermes, and Yohji Yamamoto during her years in the spotlight. In keeping with the archives, throughout “Love Story” the cheapest thing Sarah Pidgeon’s Bessette sports is a t-shirt from the French boutique Petit Bateau, and that’s only if you discount the required flight to Paris. (What the Merz B Schwanen t-shirt was to “The Bear,” the Petit Bateau long-sleeve is to “Love Story.”) Fittingly, our compiled list of Carolyn-inspired outfits draws from the highest-quality brands of today’s market. What Gucci Tom Ford was to the ‘90s, Khaite and The Row are today. Though of course, we’ve included homages to Carolyn’s roots at Calvin Klein and favorite NY accessory boutique, C.O. Bigelow.
Shop our CBK day edit
Shop our CBK night edit
Get the JFK Jr. Look
While it’s easy to marvel at the ice-blonde Sarah Pidgeon in a little black dress, Mance does just as impressive a job styling the show’s JFK Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly), giving his flirty, boyish performance an added layer of swagger. In today’s era of handknit wool, resurfaced boat shoes and Arc’teryx beanies, JFK Jr.’s style feels just as inspiring today as it did in the '90s. The world's "most eligible bachelor" was known to mix sportswear with sweaters and bike in a suit and backwards cap. To emulate his juxtaposed wardrobe of moneyed prep and mobile streetwear we’ve taken to J.Crew, Filson, Wales-based Toast, and British brand Drake’s. Here’s a brief JFK Jr.-inspired style guide—headbands, Kangol hats, and wool vests included.
