Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was thrust into the spotlight when she began dating JFK Jr. in 1994. And 25 years after the couple's tragic death, CBK's minimalist fashion legacy lives on. In today's episode of 'Currently Trending,' Page Six Style Editor and Shopping Director Elana Fishman takes a closer look at her signature style.
has reignited our collective fascination with the late couple, who were tabloid fixtures and paparazzi magnets before they died in a tragic 1999 plane crash.FX’s “Love Story” focused on Carolyn Bessette and John F.
Kennedy Jr.’s relationship, but the backdrop was Calvin Klein’s office. Both the man and the brand play a large role in the story — but did they capitalize on this major moment?Carolyn Bessette worked at Calvin Klein in 1988 as a saleswoman in a Massachusetts store. She later became close friends with the designer. The duo are pictured here in 1992.Publicist Mao Padilha reveals Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s patented fashion show seating chart method Sarah Pidgeon pays homage to Carolyn Bessette Kennedy on the Vanity Fair Oscars Party 2026 red carpet But the nine-episode series shows the entirety of the couple’s relationship, including Bessette’s years spent working in the PR department at Calvin Klein . Plucked from a Calvin Klein store in Massachusetts, the beautiful blonde climbed the ranks from saleswoman to director of publicity before Klein — both the brand and the man, played in “Love Story” by Alessandro Nivola — feature heavily in the show, as the designer introduced the couple. CBK worked closely on growing the brand’s grungy, sexually playful aesthetic, and was responsible for plucking Kate Moss out of obscurity for an underwear campaign with “Marky Mark” Wahlberg. And while both Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly were relative unknowns before being cast in the controversial series, perhaps no one’s stock has risen more than Calvin Klein in the weeks since it began streaming.CBK worked her way up to director of publicity for the brand before quitting after she wed JFK Jr. She’s seen here backstage at a 1995 Calvin Klein fashion show.Bessette was not only the brains behind some major marketing moments, she also served as muse. She bears a striking resemblance to a model, pictured here, in 1994.Though neither the brand nor its eponymous designer appears to have had any formal involvement in the show or its costumes, Calvin Klein earned $16.1 million in media impact value from mentions of “Love Story,” John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette in the month since the show’s Feb. 12 premiere episode, according to brand performance firm Media impact value “allows brands to assign a monetary value to every post, interaction or article to measure its impact and identify contributions to brand performance,” a rep for Launchmetrics tells Page Six Style. On Feb. 13, Calvin Klein — now designed by Veronica Leoni — staged its runway show during New York Fashion Week with new and old friends of the brand in attendance, like Brooke Shields and “Heated Rivalry” star François Arnaud. Grace Gummer, who plays Caroline Kennedy in the show, was there with husband Mark Ronson, but Pidgeon and Kelly were not.Alessandro Nivola plays Calvin Klein in the wildly popular FX series. Fans are begging for a spinoff show centered on the man and his life and career.After Klein introduces them at an event, JFK Jr. visits Carolyn at work, where she helps fit him for a suit.Much of the show is set in the Calvin Klein offices, with characters wearing re-creations of his iconic minimalist ’90s designs.Shockingly, it took weeks for Pidgeon to be outfitted in Calvin; the actress finally closed out awards season at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in a custom It was an interesting choice of accessory; Bessette has no real connection to the fragrance, which is considered the first commercial unisex scent, though she was at the company when it hit the market in 1994. It appeared a moment to highlight the brand’s history, independent of Pidgeon’s work. Considering the brand’s history of casting pop culture icons and up-and-comers in its campaigns, a “Love Story” moment felt practically guaranteed. But rather than feature the show’s actors in its Valentine’s Day campaign, the brand chose to go withDespite the obvious connection, actress Sarah Pidgeon had not worn any Calvin Klein designs until the Vanity Fair Oscar Party red carpet, where she sparkled in a custom dress and carried a purse in the shape of a CK One perfume bottle.Grace Gummer, who plays Caroline Kennedy in the show, was in attendance at the Feb. 13 Calvin Klein show .Designer Calvin Klein, who stepped down as chief designer of his namesake company in 2002, made a rare appearance at the brand’s Feb. 7 fashion show.“In 2026, the real question isn’t how big the MIV number is, it’s what you do with the attention,” Small Girls PR CEO and co-founder Mallory Blair tells us. “MIV is a proxy for visibility. Think of it as proof you’ve opened the door. Now that you’re in, you need to drive the business. The brands that win are going to treat moments like this as the starting line of the race,” she says.As for what Blair — who has worked on campaigns for companies ranging from start-up Billie to juggernaut Olay — would’ve advised the brand do with all the eyeballs? “Start with the obvious miss: Sarah Pidgeon should have been front row at fashion week. That turns her spotlight directly onto pieces viewers can actually buy,” she says. Other ways the Calvin Klein team could’ve capitalized on the moment, according to Blair? A limited capsule inspired by CBK’s iconic looks, or a simple “shop the episode” experience. The brand might’ve also driven extra traffic to its stores by giving them a temporary ’90s makeover to mimic the office setup seen onscreen — white orchids and all. “Attention matters. It matters even more when you act on it,” Blair says. “If you’re not converting the moment, you’re wasting it. Miley Cyrus’ favorite long-lasting lipstick is under $11 right now: ‘Very important part of my performance’These bags and shoes look like The Row, but they start at just $25 during Amazon’s Big Spring SaleiHeartRadio Music Awards 2026 red carpet live updates: See all the celebrity looksBillionaire Ronald Perelman's son dead at 15Miley Cyrus’ favorite long-lasting lipstick is under $11 right now: ‘Very important part of my performance’Paige DeSorbo swears off Botox after going ‘overboard’: ‘It made me uglier’More Page Six Style FX's"Love Story" focused on Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr.'s relationship, but the backdrop was Calvin Klein's office. Both the man and the brand play a large role in the story — but did they capitalize on this major moment?Carolyn Bessette worked at Calvin Klein in 1988 as a saleswoman in a Massachusetts store. She later became close friends with the designer. The duo are pictured here in 1992.CBK worked her way up to director of publicity for the brand before quitting after she wed JFK Jr. She's seen here backstage at a 1995 Calvin Klein fashion show.Bessette was not only the brains behind some major marketing moments, she also served as muse. She bears a striking resemblance to a model, pictured here, in 1994.Alessandro Nivola plays Calvin Klein in the wildly popular FX series. Fans are begging for a spinoff show centered on the man and his life and career.After Klein introduces them at an event, JFK Jr. visits Carolyn at work, where she helps fit him for a suit.Much of the show is set in the Calvin Klein offices, with characters wearing re-creations of his iconic minimalist '90s designs.Despite the obvious connection, actress Sarah Pidgeon had not worn any Calvin Klein designs until the Vanity Fair Oscar Party red carpet, where she sparkled in a custom dress and carried a purse in the shape of a CK One perfume bottle.Grace Gummer, who plays Caroline Kennedy in the show, was in attendance at the Feb. 13 Calvin Klein show .Designer Calvin Klein, who stepped down as chief designer of his namesake company in 2002, made a rare appearance at the brand's Feb. 7 fashion show. Stream It Or Skip It: 'Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole' On Netflix, Where A Troubled Detective Tracks Down A Serial Killer Who Is Terrorizing Oslo
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