the CBK tax has hit ebay

my thoughts on 'love story,' a reader favorite bean-shaped necklace that now comes in green, and an upcoming sandy liang collab i'm setting an alarm for.

I have a question for you. Take a look at this brown wool pencil skirt:

Ok, all done?

If anyone said they were willing to pay more than $100, I’d be curious to hear why.

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The “reveal” is that this is a vintage 1996 Prada skirt worn by Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and it’s listed at $1400 (or best offer) on eBay.

On the listing, the first image you see isn’t the brown skirt clipped on a bebe hanger on the back of someone’s door in shoddy lighting, but an old 90s photo of JFK Jr. and CBK in the said skirt.

The skirt itself looks fine—it’s made of wool and probably well-constructed, but that’s not what prospective buyers or looky-loos like me are really interested in. The seller knows that the allure of the skirt comes from the mythology and obsession around its wearer. So the CBK tax must apply, to the tune of $1400!

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How CBK-mania is showing up in the secondhand fashion marketplace:

The “a famous person wore it” pricing markup on secondhand sites is nothing new, but since Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette premiered this month, “CBK style” content has reached a fever pitch across the fashion internet.

On eBay, where I spend most of my time trawling for vintage designer, I’ve seen an increase in Prada, Yohji, and Calvin Klein listings that have the words “Carolyn Bessette Kennedy” in the title, regardless of whether she actually wore the item or not. Sellers know what they have, and they're using the show's popularity and the spike in interest to justify higher prices.

Here’s another noteworthy example. This Calvin Klein Collection Spring 1995 Silver Slip Dress worn by CBK, Kate Moss, and Christy Turlington is currently listed at $20K on eBay. Completely out of reach for the vast majority of people, but hey, 239 girls can dream.

Out of curiosity, I did a reverse image search and found that this listing (same seller) was priced at $12K in November of 2023.

That’s a price increase of $8K, or 67%. I don’t know for sure when the price went up, but I know for certain it was driven by the recent hype around Love Story.

Who is actually buying these insanely expensive pieces? If they weren’t already sourced by the show’s costume designer with a Hulu budget behind them, who does that leave as a viable buyer? I’d love to hear your theories.

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IDK CBK

To backtrack—I didn’t even know who CBK was until like, last year when those initial show teaser photos came out and everyone hated the fast fashion-y costumes. I knew of her in the sense that her name came up in history class, but I wasn’t aware of her status as a style icon. As Irene Kim (김애린) shared on Notes, CBK was never a style reference for me either—so it's been fascinating to watch the speed and magnitude with which people are now emulating her tortoiseshell headbands and black turtlenecks. CBK cosplay has become a full-blown trend on TikTok, and I feel the same way about it as I do about Carrie-fishing.

Love Story is a visually beautiful show with excellent needle drops. My favorite scenes involve the Calvin Klein office…I like the way the elevator doors are shot and the specificity of the office layout. It reminds me of the Mad Men treatment of TV office sets—not my house, but I know my way around!

The acting feels a touch corny at times (take a shot every time we get a ~casual~hair tousle), but I am invested in the story and will continue to watch it through the end. My final thought: I can appreciate CBK's style and its onscreen depiction, but it won’t be influencing my personal style.

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• The Heaven Mayhem bean shaped necklace now comes in GREEN. It’s glass, not jade, but a fun way to experiment with the jade bean look if you’re pining after the Elsa Peretti version…

• For my Industry-heads, I have a dedicated newsletter on Harper’s Season 4 style coming soon, but in the meantime you can catch up with my analysis of her Seasons 1-3 style here.

• My siblings have influenced me on Rocky’s matcha. My LA sister was like “it’s the good matcha they use at Community Goods” and my TCM herbalist sibling was like it’s just “rich and dimensional, bright and creamy.” So now I have a few tins on the way.

• Sandy Liang has a collaboration with bag maker Porter Yoshida & Co. launching on 9/27, 6am PST online. I have high hopes for this collab because Porter Yoshida has a solid reputation for craftsmanship, but I’ve always found their bags too utilitarian/too “menswear-y” for my tastes lol. Maybe the girls will finally get their dream laptop tote out of this crossover.

• Big Salad interviewed me about my 12 favorite things.

• The first thing I like to cook after being away from home is a batch of dino kale pesto, over whatever pasta shape I have in the pantry. I blend 1 bunch of dino kale, ~3 cloves raw garlic, and adjust lemon-flavored olive oil/lemon juice/salt/pepper to taste. I love the sharp garlicky herby flavor profile and I can always use the fiber after not getting enough veggies on the road. Also, the verdant pesto in bright yellow East Fork bowl makes for a satisfying Molehill color combo.

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xo viv

Thanks for being here. You can find me on IG and TT. My wardrobe pieces and recs are saved here—unless it’s vintage, of course ;) I may earn a small commission from purchases made through affiliate links.

“The Molehill was the first paid Substack I ever subscribed to. I’m from the Bay Area and now live in New York, and initially fell for Viv’s sartorial style. What’s kept me is her writing — genuine, thoughtful, and fun. She offers fashion inspiration that feels unique and deeply engaged, yet never intimidating. It’s stylish, smart, and completely accessible.” — Isabelle