Sotheby’s hotly anticipated "Fashion Icons" auction has reached American shores and is now in New York to celebrate everything fashion. The carefully curated collection which is rich in beauty, artistry, and history, and features items worn by iconic figures, will be auctioned off in the Big Apple. Spanning different decades, styles, and designers, the collection features groundbreaking works by some of the 20th century’s most notable designers. Highlights include a rare and significant coat by John Galliano from his "Afghanistan Repudiates" collection, a Chanel couture day dress from circa 1927, and stunning evening wear by Alexander McQueen and Versace. This eagerly awaited event has attracted global interest from both museums and private collectors. Taking centre stage are the items worn by the woman who was the pinnacle of New York style, elegance, and grace: Carolyn Bessettee-Kennedy. The collection features three items from her impeccable wardrobe. Bidding opens on November 27th.
An undisputed icon: Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
Bessette-Kennedy is known for her impeccable sense of style. Her chic and minimalist sartorial choices remain highly sought after to this day thanks to their timeless elegance. The trend of ‘quiet luxury’ undoubtedly takes inspiration from Bessette-Kennedy’s way of dressing as does the reemergence of 90s trends. Today, many fashion lovers and designers still take inspiration from the way she dressed. The former Calvin Klein publicist turned wife of John F. Kennedy Jr. started a fashion cult that now surrounds her personal style. Bessette-Kennedy’s influence on fashion only seems to grow stronger with time.
Reflecting on Carolyn’s life and era-defining minimalist style, Sotheby's fashion specialist Lucy Bishop remarked: “There is no greater expression of someone’s life than their clothes”. As a woman rushing through the busy streets of New York and attending exclusive galas, Bessette-Kennedy’s fashion choices were practical yet she always managed to look polished and immaculate. She knew too well the quiet strength of dressing well and the power of understated beauty, a truth captured timelessly in these pieces. It’s this understanding that keeps her style very much alive and lovingly emulated by women worldwide today. Her coats, steeped in subdued elegance, deserve a new home, dressing the closet of someone who appreciates just how special they truly are.
Defined by sleek, understated elegance, Bessette-Kennedy’s style is an ode to the quiet luxury and "old money" aesthetics that resonate deeply with today's audiences. Few wardrobes in modern history rival that of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s, and Sotheby’s upcoming auction is about to show us why.
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy – The Legacy Lives On
The three pieces available from Bessette-Kennedy were gifted to her close friend, RoseMarie Terenzio, who was John F. Kennedy Jr.’s executive assistant, publicist, and one of the couple’s closest confidantes during the 1990s. Each garment is reminiscent of the late It Girl’s refined taste, generosity, and timeless appeal. The pieces of clothing from Bessette-Kennedy’s wardrobe are going up for auction and will be on view to the public in Sotheby’s York Avenue Galleries on the Upper East Side of Manhattan from the 5th to 10th of December. The online Fashion Icons Auction opens for bidding in the last week of November and runs until December 17th.
The pieces aren’t only beautiful but steeped in history. The auction debuts with a Prada single-breasted black wool coat Carolyn wore to Bill Clinton's 1997 inauguration, followed by a vintage faux-leopard fur coat, unlabelled, circa 1969. A Yohji Yamamoto black wool jacket she wore to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal event in 1997 is favoured of all three pieces and the most anticipated in the sale event. The exceptional pieces were worn in front of some of America’s most notable and influential figures of the past century.
The Yohji Yamamoto Black Wool Double-Breasted Jacket from 1997, estimated to fetch $20,000, is set to be the focal point of the auction. Distinguished by its padded hips, tailored waist, and self-covered buttons, the coat is emblematic of the designer’s structured sophistication. Bessette-Kennedy’s admiration for Yamamoto is well-documented, and her numerous appearances wearing his pieces remained some of her most copied looks.
She wore this jacket, paired with a similar skirt while attending the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal ceremony – honouring Robert De Niro at the Municipal Art Society in New York in March 1997 – with her husband, John F. Kennedy Jr at her side.
Having been a favourite of Carolyn's, the Prada-Labelled Black Wool Single-Breasted Coat with Belt is believed to be from the Prada Autumn-Winter 1996-97 collection and is expected to fetch around $20,000. A sleek silhouette reminiscent of 1960s-70s design, this coat is one of several variations, such as beige and red tweed, that Bessette-Kennedy was known for wearing.
The Vintage Faux-Leopard Printed Double-Breasted Coat from circa 1969, estimated at $30,000, is one of two leopard print coats Bessette-Kennedy owned. Given that the leopard print trend has seen a resurgence in the Fall 2024 fashion month, the piece is evocative of its era yet stands as a fashion emblem ahead of its time.
The pieces going up for auction are both striking, and practical, beautiful, yet chic, understated, yet timeless. It is no wonder she continues to be a style icon that defies ageing, long after her tragic passing.
