I am deep in the throes of watching Love Story on FX, and just like the entirety of the Marie Claire team, Sarah Pidgeon's minimalist '90s wardrobe has completely hypnotized me. Roll neck sweaters! Slinky slip dresses! LL Bean boat totes! But it's not just her fashion choices that are causing a stir among the aesthetically-minded set. As the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Pidgeon's glam is equally swoon-worthy, from the signature buttery blonde shade of her long, cool-girl hair, to the already-iconic opening sequence in episode one wherein a relentless pack of paparazzi swarms outside of her nail appointment. During the anxiety-inducing scene, CBK receives a bright, blood-red manicure on short, rounded nails, flashbulbs popping in the background, before hastily asking her nail tech to switch to an unproblematic nude color.
The relevance of her polish swap is clear to anyone with even a slight comprehension of her whirlwind romance to JFK Jr. and tragic death in a plane crash in the late '90s. Joining what was arguably the closest thing to a royal family that America has ever had was not for the faint of heart, and watching an independent, career-minded woman like Carolyn take a backseat to her husband's political dynasty pedigree is tough to watch, to say the least. It's why the moment she relinquishes her bold red nails for a demure, unproblematic neutral feels like the latest acquiescence in a long line of personal sacrifices. Death by a thousand paper cuts? More like erasure by a few dozen safe, unassuming manicures.
