You didn't think FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy would premiere without method dressing from leading lady Sarah Pidgeon, did you? On February 11, the eve of the biopic's release, the Marie Claire cover star looked every bit her character in two CBK-coded leather coats.
Stylist Emma Jade Morrison understood the assignment: help Pidgeon look as much like Bessette-Kennedy, without encroaching on gimmicky. (Not even in the slightest.) After an early-morning interview on Good Morning America, the actress wasted no time posing in her first CBK-worthy coat, courtesy of New York City label AFLALO. The $3,800 Affine Coat read more dress than outerwear, thanks to its collarless neckline and a button-hiding placket. It's unclear if Pidgeon layered anything underneath it, but the coat's monochrome belt and calf-grazing hem ensured she didn't have to. Square-toe pumps—also in matte black leather—cemented Pidgeon's press look as a clear homage to Bessette-Kennedy.
A few hours later, Pidgeon returned to the same Hudson Square sidewalk in a slightly more maximalist trench-turned-dress. It wasn't the collar or oversize silhouette that made it modern, but rather the glossy garnish. The coat's navy blue leather bordered on black once paparazzi lights illuminated its patent exterior. Equally lacquered Le Monde Béryl knee-high boots upped the outfit's overarching rainstorm-ready energy. Even Pidgeon's shield sunglasses from Jimmy Fairly got the memo.
In the early '90s, before Bessette became a Kennedy, she attended many a fashion party in black leather outerwear. The It girl was especially loyal to leather blazers—the bigger the lapels, the better. (A circa-1993 Bloomingdale's soirée in New York City was the perfect place to flaunt her hero piece.) She reserved calf-length silhouettes like Pidgeon's for khaki trenches, fur-trimmed finds, and wool wraps.
While filming Love Story last June, Pidgeon pulled off an almost-identical leather blazer, minus CBK's Bloomingdale's-approved beanie. Other Bessette-Kennedy signatures—including a black, mock-neck blouse and satin slip skirts—upped the jacket's East Coast energy.
Converse Chuck Taylors had the internet up in arms, debating if the real Bessette-Kennedy would wear them. Turns out, "once she wore a long midi Calvin skirt with Chucks on her feet and only a fitted black leather jacket as a shirt," according to author Elizabeth Beller's 2024 biography, Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
By this time tomorrow, fans will have three episodes worth of Bessette-Kennedy costumes to dissect in Love Story's initial release. Hopefully, a leather jacket or two made producer Ryan Murphy's final cut. Even if they didn't, it's worth shopping the curated edit of Bessette-Kennedy and Pidgeon-inspired coats below.
