CBK Never Wore Color, But Made an Exception for This Coat

If you follow me on TikTok, you know I’ve been talking about Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s style long before Ryan Murphy started filming his new television series about her and her husband. In fact, one of my videos from 2023 racked up over four million views and nearly 2100 comments. The topic: things CBK never wore. I discussed how the Calvin Klein executive, for instance, shied away from colorful clothing. Instead, she built a minimalist wardrobe consisting largely of black, brown, tan, beige, and white.

Now that winter is upon us, however, I’m reminded of one exception she made when it came to wearing non-neutrals. Photographed in New York City with John F. Kennedy Jr. and their dog in January 1997, Bessette Kennedy wore a tomato-red Prada coat. She completed her winter outfit with pared-down pieces, including a simple beanie, turtleneck, and boots, all in black, and dark-wash bootcut jeans. If a coat trend was good enough for CBK to break her own style rules for, it’s certainly good enough for me. Scroll down to shop coats inspired by the original NYC influencer.