Getting That Carolyn Bessette Vibe: My Attempt
Alright, so I decided I wanted to try and capture that Carolyn Bessette style everyone talks about. It wasn’t like a sudden thing, more like I kept seeing her pictures and thought, damn, that woman knew how to dress. Simple, but it just worked. Looked effortless, you know? So, I figured, why not give it a shot myself?
First thing I did was just immerse myself in pictures. Like, really looked at them. Pinned a bunch online, saved photos. Tried to break down what made it ‘her style’. It seemed to boil down to a few key things:
- Minimalism, like seriously minimal. No loud prints, not a lot of fuss.
- A very tight color palette. Lots of black, white, beige, camel, navy. Sometimes a bit of red.
- Clean lines. Tailored pieces, simple shapes. Nothing too baggy or overly complicated.
- Good quality basics. Looked like stuff that would last, not fast fashion junk.
Okay, armed with that, I went to my own closet. Man, that was an eye-opener. I pulled everything out. Realized I had tons of stuff I never wore, lots of patterns, impulse buys. Compared to her clean look, my wardrobe was a mess. I started purging. Got rid of anything too trendy, anything that didn’t fit perfectly, anything that just felt… loud.
Then came the hard part: finding the right pieces. I knew I needed some core items. Things like a perfect black turtleneck, some straight-leg jeans (not skinny!), a simple black dress (maybe a slip dress?), a good white shirt, and definitely a classic coat, maybe camel or black. Sounds easy, right? Nope. Finding items with the right cut and fabric quality without breaking the bank took time. I hit up thrift stores, department stores, looked online. Tried on countless pairs of jeans until I found a pair that just hung right. Same with the turtleneck – needed the right neck height and fabric feel.
Slowly, slowly, I started getting a few key pieces together. The fun part was actually trying to style them. I started mixing and matching what I had. The black turtleneck with the straight-leg jeans. The slip dress layered under a simple crew neck sweater. The white shirt tucked into tailored black trousers. It felt… different. Less complicated than my old way of dressing. I had to resist the urge to add a flashy necklace or a crazy scarf. The whole point was keeping it simple.
I realized it wasn’t just about copying outfits exactly. It was more about capturing the feeling. That meant focusing on fit – making sure things weren’t too tight or too loose. It meant paying attention to fabrics – a good cashmere or wool blend feels different. It also, and this was a big one, felt like it required a certain confidence. You can’t hide behind fussy clothes, so you just have to own the simple look.
So, did I nail it? Ha, probably not perfectly. It’s an ongoing process. Some days I get closer than others. But going through this whole exercise definitely changed how I think about clothes. I buy less now, but I try to buy better. I focus more on fit and silhouette. It’s less about chasing trends and more about building a wardrobe of pieces I actually love and feel good in. It streamlined my mornings too, which is a nice bonus. It’s a quieter way of dressing, I guess, and I’m kinda digging it.