To channel the elegance of a '90s icon, these are the fashion choices to make
This story is part of the June 29 edition of Sunday Life. See all 13 stories.
Newcomers to royal-watching might consider California-born Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, the ultimate American princess. Marrying the blue-blooded, redheaded Prince Harry is a step in the right direction but the former Suits actor still has to bow down to the style credentials of the late Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
After marrying American 'royalty' John F. Kennedy Jr in 1996, fashion executive Carolyn epitomised the international ideal of streamlined sophistication, rivalling her mother-in-law, Jackie Kennedy, and the crowned and tiara-wearing heads of Europe.
Recent images from the upcoming, Ryan Murphy-produced series American Love Story about Carolyn and John, who both died in a plane crash in 1999, caused an online uproar for not capturing the ethereal blonde's elusive essence. Here are the ingredients for avoiding the keyboard warriors and emulating and updating Bessette-Kennedy's eternal chic.
Make it sleek
Bessette-Kennedy's wedding dress, by designer Narcisco Rodriguez (they worked together at Calvin Klein when she was a public relations executive), was a masterpiece of '90s minimalism. The cowl-neck white slip dress dismissed ornament and excess, making Bessette-Kennedy the star.
In a 2016 interview with Glamour, the then Meghan Markle acknowledged its impact when asked about her favourite celebrity wedding dress: 'Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Everything goals.'
To make an elegant impact in the evening, prioritise minimal draping over tailoring to create a fluid fit that skims the figure.
Make it monochrome
Black, white and neutrals were Bessette-Kennedy's preferred palette but feel free to add drama with cool creams, soothing blues and fresh greens. Discipline is key when wearing one colour from top to toe.
Update the restraint of the '90s with smooth sequins or subtle lace details for a more modern approach to minimalism.
Bessette-Kennedy would break the monochrome rule to wear crisp white shirts with skirts. A T-shirt-style blouse over a satin skirt offers the same cool contrast without drifting into officewear.
Make it look easy
Leave outrageous up-dos and complicated braids to the aspirants to your style throne. Bessette-Kennedy was the model of simplicity when it came to hair and make-up.
'Most of the girls at Calvin had similar long hair, but Carolyn never blew hers out,' former colleague Stormy Stokes told Sunita Kumar Nair for her book Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion. 'She taught me how to style my own: wash it, flip it up and down twice, then tie it in a top bun, and ride the subway. By the time we would get to the office, we'd take the bun down and our hair would just be ready to go.'
Loading
For shorter hair look to the ultimate British princess, Diana, who redefined her signature style with slick hair following her 1996 divorce from Prince Charles.
'She was a bit nervous about the slicked-back appearance,' Sam McKnight, Diana's hairdresser told The Telegraph in the UK. 'Like many women, she used to hide behind her hair. But she looked her best when she didn't do anything to it.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Son of Winx could have a $20 million price tag
Debbie Kepitis, the part-owner of Winx who paid a record $10 million for the legendary mare's first live foal, a filly, says the champion's first son is 'a very handsome boy. Just wait until you see him'. That chance will come for suitors at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale next year after the Winx ownership's decision to put the Snitzel colt up for auction. Now the big question: what will he go for? Logically, you would think he will go for more than his half-sister, maybe even double, especially given the death of Snitzel this month. But there are no sure things in racing. Snitzel was a four-time champion sire of Australia which produced 23 individual group 1 winners, including two-time Everest conqueror Redzel and Golden Slipper victors Marhoona, Shinzo and Estijaab. His death makes his son with Winx - Australia's greatest performer on the track - unique and should only heighten the desire to secure the colt next Easter. After losing her first foal, to I Am Invincible, Winx gave birth to a Pierro filly in 2023. Kepitis, who already owned a third of the yearling, outbid American John Stewart to secure her at the 2024 Inglis Easter Sale, paying a world record price of $10 million for a filly. Named Quinceañera, she is under the care of Winx's trainer, Chris Waller, but she is yet to even trial. Winx's next pairing, announced this month, will be with Too Darn Hot. The record sale price smashed expectations, and the former benchmark for a filly in Australia - $2.7 million.
The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
Son of Winx could have a $20 million price tag
Debbie Kepitis, the part-owner of Winx who paid a record $10 million for the legendary mare's first live foal, a filly, says the champion's first son is 'a very handsome boy. Just wait until you see him'. That chance will come for suitors at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale next year after the Winx ownership's decision to put the Snitzel colt up for auction. Now the big question: what will he go for? Logically, you would think he will go for more than his half-sister, maybe even double, especially given the death of Snitzel this month. But there are no sure things in racing. Snitzel was a four-time champion sire of Australia which produced 23 individual group 1 winners, including two-time Everest conqueror Redzel and Golden Slipper victors Marhoona, Shinzo and Estijaab. His death makes his son with Winx - Australia's greatest performer on the track - unique and should only heighten the desire to secure the colt next Easter. After losing her first foal, to I Am Invincible, Winx gave birth to a Pierro filly in 2023. Kepitis, who already owned a third of the yearling, outbid American John Stewart to secure her at the 2024 Inglis Easter Sale, paying a world record price of $10 million for a filly. Named Quinceañera, she is under the care of Winx's trainer, Chris Waller, but she is yet to even trial. Winx's next pairing, announced this month, will be with Too Darn Hot. The record sale price smashed expectations, and the former benchmark for a filly in Australia - $2.7 million.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Lucille Ball's daughter reignites controversy surrounding the star's biopic starring Nicole Kidman
Everybody loves Lucy. Aaron Sorkin's 2021 film about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, not so much. Speaking at a Hollywood event earlier in June, the couple's daughter Lucie Arnaz reignited controversy about Sorkin's award-winning biopic Being The Ricardos, labelling some scenes as 'a crock of poop.' The 73-year-old complained Sorkin misrepresented her mother's relationship with her I Love Lucy writing team, and wrongly inflated tensions between Ball's co-stars Vivian Vance and William Frawley. Set during a tense week of rehearsals for their famous show – when Ball was strained by Communist rumours and fears Arnaz was cheating – Being The Ricardos (now streaming on Tubi) explores the couple's tumultuous partnership. Premiering in 1951, I Love Lucy transformed Ball from B-list movie actor to comedy legend. And yet Ball always insisted she wasn't naturally funny. Crediting her writing team for her famous scatterbrain schtick, Ball told Rolling Stone in 1983: 'What I am is brave. I have never been scared. And there was a lot to be scared about. We were innovators.' Always a shrewd businesswoman, Ball had to fight nervous network executives to have Arnaz cast as Ricky, and later include her real-life pregnancy in the show. Far from being a turn-off, more than 44 million viewers tuned in to watch the fictional Lucy and Ricky welcome their first child (in reality it was the couple's second, having already welcomed daughter Lucie two years earlier). That episode also became Ball's happiest moment on the show. 'Because I was really having a baby [son Desi Arnaz Jr] and it was my last show before I had the baby, so it was real and it was the most exciting thing in my life,' Ball told Entertainment Tonight in 1984, five years before her death. These events are detailed in Being The Ricardos, with Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem starring as the famously bickering couple. Despite being an executive producer on the Amazon Prime biopic, Lucie complained that Sorkin dismissed her concerns about factual inaccuracies in his script, telling her: 'Well, what do you know? You were 15 months old.' 'You can't talk to Aaron. He's Aaron Sorkin,' Lucie said. 'I tried to work on it and correct the incorrect parts, especially [my mother's] relationship with the writers. '[It was] totally wrong. She adored those people. They got along so well; none of that backstabbing, crazy, insulting stuff.' Despite reservations about the script, Lucie has always been glowing in her praise of Kidman and Bardem (who each gained Oscar nods for their performances), who initially faced criticism for their casting. Some questioned why the Spanish actor had been cast to play the Cuban bandleader, prompting Bardem to argue that nobody had complained when American actor Meryl Streep played British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, or Marlon Brando – an American with no Italian heritage – transformed into The Godfather's Vito Corleone. 'But me, with my Spanish accent, being Cuban? What I mean is, if we want to open that can of worms, let's open it for everyone … we should all start not allowing anybody to play Hamlet unless they were born in Denmark,' an exasperated Bardem told The Hollywood Reporter. There was also backlash against Kidman because she isn't typically a comedic actress. 'There seems to be a lot of discussion about Nicole Kidman [and people saying] it should be Debra Messing … I don't know, but here's the deal and what you should understand: We're not doing a remake of I Love Lucy,' Lucie posted on Facebook ahead of the film's release. 'No one has to impersonate Lucy Ricardo [or do] any of the silly things. It's the story of Lucille Ball, my actual mother – not Lucy Ricardo – and her husband, Desi Arnaz, my dad – not Ricky Ricardo.' The fuss knocked Kidman's confidence. And, during an appearance on Live With Kelly And Ryan, she confessed: 'When the reality of playing her hit me, I went, 'What I have said yes to?' To which I then went, 'Oh no, I'm not right. Everyone thinks I'm not right, so I'm going to try to sidestep this.'' To nail the role, Kidman watched re-runs, took dialect lessons and worked with a movement coach to capture Ball's physicality, particularly when recreating the famous I Love Lucy grape squashing scene. In conversation with Chris Rock for Variety, Kidman admitted Ball was a tough act for anyone to follow, and that she was 'way out of my comfort zone'. 'She's Mount Everest. Just one of the most talented people to ever roam the earth.' Rock agrees. 'She could learn anything in a weekend. So, they would, like, write something on the show where she plays the tuba, and she would go, 'I can't play the tuba. Give me two days.' But mostly, Kidman told the comedian, the toughest part of the gig was unleashing her own silly side. 'I'd like to be funny,' she said. 'I'm never cast funny.' Celebrate Lucille Ball's incredible legacy with these shows, streaming now on Tubi. The Lucy Show: In this follow-up to I Love Lucy (after Ball's divorce from Arnaz), the red-haired star plays a widow who goes to live with her divorced pal, Vivian. Funny World Of Lucy: Broken into two chapters – the early and later years – this documentary is a deep-dive into Ball's life and career.
