Why Carolyn Bessette Left Calvin Klein for JFK Jr.

At the height of her Calvin Klein career, Carolyn Bessette gave up her PR position after marrying John F. Kennedy Jr., Sasha Chermayeff, the couple’s high school friend, said. Chermayeff said the decision was driven in part by the need for everything to revolve around John and the magazine he co-founded, George.

He also pointed to a conflict of interest for advertisers because the magazine crossed into fashion. “She was supposed to sort of give up everything in order to make his career moves more palatable for the world,” Chermayeff said, adding that in the ’90s women “weren’t really as important,” and wondering what Bessette might have achieved had she remained in the industry.

Bessette’s rise at Calvin Klein began after graduating from Boston University: she moved from a mall sales position to the flagship store in New York, dressed clients such as Annette Bening and Diane Sawyer, and became director of show productions. Her tenure ended when she quit following her 1996 nuptials to Kennedy.

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