Sarah Pidgeon's Milan Fashion Week Debut Spotlights the Best of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy Minimalism
The next episode of 'Love Story' can't drop soon enough.
Whether Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was styling a trench coat, wool wrap, or the occasional leopard-print jacket, she often wore a classic sweater underneath. Even so, I like to think she would have been open to wearing knitwear as shawls, too. Every CBK-coded minimalist is loyal to the winter-to-spring style hack right now, even Sarah Pidgeon.
Pidgeon portrays Bessette-Kennedy in FX's biopic series, Love Story, which tells the story of her whirlwind romance with John F. Kennedy Jr. While she's very much a fashion muse on her own, Pidgeon left Love Story with an intimate understanding of Bessette-Kennedy's aesthetic, as proven by her Milan Fashion Week debut on February 25. In the run-up to Episode 5, Pidgeon filled the CBK-shaped hole in viewers' hearts with selects straight from her character's '90s wardrobe.
Sarah Pidgeon looked every bit Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's twin at Milan Fashion Week.
First, she followed Kendall Jenner's lead by layering a black sweater over the shoulders of her leather, button-down jacket. (Jenner did the same on Feb. 25, except with a navy crewneck and a Burberry trench.) Contrary to Jenner, Pidgeon secured only the top button, which let her white long-sleeve peek through. She tucked the stark white top into black straight-leg jeans. Each slim, cylindrical leg mirrored the cigarette jeans trend, of which Bessette-Kennedy was the original blueprint. The only difference? CBK preferred indigo-colored mid-washes.
The similarities continued with Pidgeon's black block-heel boots. Her pair was as pared-back as can be, apart from vertical seams down each leather upper. Bessette-Kennedy's signature oval-shaped sunglasses traded places with cat-eye shades, still in black.
A moment for her Carolyn-coded boots, please.
The Fall 2026 season marks Pidgeon's first Milan Fashion Week, but she's been preparing for this moment since Sept. 2024. As proven by her New York Fashion Week appearances, Pidgeon's affinity for '90s minimalism wasn't just a result of playing Bessette-Kennedy, either.
Two years ago, she sat in Ulla Johnson's front row wearing a nostalgic Canadian tuxedo. Now, the jean jacket might've been too pop star-y for Bessette-Kennedy, but Pidgeon's not-quite-skinny, not-quite-flared pants were pure Carolyn-core. Pidgeon's T-strap ballet flats—which matched her denim's yellow gold hardware—also channeled a classically cool New Yorker.
Two years ago, Pidgeon attended Ulla Johnson's fashion show in denim-on-denim.
More recently, Pidgeon scored an invite to Khaite's Fall 2026 show during NYFW: a simplicity-led label Bessette-Kennedy would've adored. The Wilds actor arrived in a partially sheer skirt, a ruched top, and a double-breasted coat. Even her blonde waves embodied the effortless tousle of Bessette-Kennedy's 'do.
A few weeks ago, Pidgeon arrived at Khaite's presentation in CBK-inspired black selects.
Judging by her MFW 'fit, Pidgeon plans to pick up where she left off: wearing silhouettes and shades she adopted from her time as Bessette-Kennedy. Her latest look seems like an extension of her Love Story costumes—fitted, modest, and a bit moody. It's almost as if she's still building her character, though filming wrapped months ago.
"What was so exciting in taking on this role was this freedom I had in learning about this person and then creating this character," Pidgeon told Marie Claire as the February cover star. “[I wasn’t] necessarily limited by something so literal, because there wasn’t a ton to go off of.” Who knows if Bessette-Kennedy would've actually worn Pidgeon's set? A girl can certainly dream, though.
Shop the Sweater-Over-Coat Spring Outfit Inspired by Sarah Pidgeon
