11 of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's best fashion moments

Before her death in a plane crash, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy became known as a fashion icon, often photographed alongside her husband John F. Kennedy Jr. Her minimalist looks — a quiet-luxury palette of black, white, beige, and navy — helped define a '90s aesthetic that still resonates.

She mixed classic pieces in unexpected ways, like patent-leather brown boots with a black sweater and camel calf-length skirt in Tribeca, or a structured white button-up with a black mermaid-tail skirt. Her time as a publicist at Calvin Klein seemed to influence those clean, perfectly tailored silhouettes; Vogue called one of her minimalist ensembles "the epitome of uptown glamour." For formal events she favored streamlined glamour — a strapless black column gown paired with velvet gloves and pointed stiletto heels — while off-duty moments included a bright floral summer dress, jeans with strappy sandals, and a white T-shirt under a black leather jacket finished with oval sunglasses or a tortoiseshell headband.

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