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 find the hype around CBK so interesting. Don’t get me wrong I think she dresses well but sometimes I do think is she really stylish or just a thin, blonde, conventionally attractive woman lol
totally. and i think there is a level of modern-day aesthetic conservatism that is being projected onto her as this tragic/"pure" feminine figure, which has nothing to do with her actual beliefs/politics, and everything to do with how it's being interpreted by a contemporary audience
I definitely agree! I think a lot of people who lean into the CBK aesthetic are more interested in her status/lifestyle (and what they can project onto it) than her clothes. Some of her Yohji looks were cool but arguably would've looked cool on anyone. Even among women who represented that 90s minimal vibe, I don't really think she had the most interesting outfits to draw from.
I'd never heard of her before reading her biography last summer either! But I love her style (in large part because my mom, who'd also never heard of her, wore tailored and chic outfits in the 80s and 90s and influenced me lol).
What I found interesting while reading her biography is that she was more of a casual (and colorful) dresser until she got with JFK Jr and was harassed by the press. That's largely when she ditched sneakers and converses for all-black outfits. The goal was apparently to give photographs nothing to photograph, so that they'd get bored of her, which unfortunately never happened. The Yohji outfits she wore to formal occasions were intentionally structural pieces to function almost like an "armor" iirc. But the first three episodes of the show don't show that evolution in style or the fact she'd have more freedom to play around with more eclectic pieces before becoming a public figure.
Anyway food for thought! it's interesting to think about her minimalism (which is celebrated today) being in part a coerced response to aggressive press.
CBK LARP-ing is probably the most funniest and annoying phenomenon of recent years in fashion spaces online, as nothing like this wasn't a thing before on that scale happened, it wasn't that specific and obsessed with details before - but also it captures the soulessness of the current substack rowdent types trying to be substitute for a well edited fashion section of a magazine in a way. She's like the guru of a cult for people who bang the drum about personal style yet look same as others.
Carolyn herself was a not even a very special looking woman, honestly pretty much she captured a stereotype of professional long haired blond WW at time (I often think about Jenna Elfman in Keeping the Faith being also embodiment of that stereotype too) - which was everywhere and her style was mediocre. Lot of Gen X yuppie woman in major capitals that were aware of fashion at time dressed like that, wore Prada or Klein. CBK wasn't even that really revered back then for her "style" from what I remember, as after years of dealing with lot of archival print fashion media I can't recall much. I didn't see any pages of V US or HB fawning about her from the period either.
I doubt she'd be revered if she didn't marry into American political royalty, but also I don't think the cult of her would exist if she still were alive, too.
I love CBK style—I’m old enough to remember seeing her pix the first time in magazines and thinking she looked so unattainably chic. It’s just a wool pencil skirt but she wore it well because she knew how things should fit and how to pair it with proportions that looked cohesive— minimalism was the trend at the time,but it is a really tough style to pull off. I think it no longer looks “special” today when personal style is all about the mix or some insufferably coded trend—but I’ll never forget the first time I saw the power of simplicity in clothing and CBK was a very public icon that represented that style (as did Kate Moss, who wore Narciso Rodriguez to Cannes and looked so sleek and utterly herself).
For all my admiration of the way she wore clothes though, it never really occurred to me to emulate her style because it seemed so obvious to me that she (+plus her fame) made the clothes look good, not the other way around. I do love the way she wore jeans and I still wear jeans with a similar fit but becoming a CBK clone is missing the point.
I find the hype around CBK so interesting. Don’t get me wrong I think she dresses well but sometimes I do think is she really stylish or just a thin, blonde, conventionally attractive woman lol
totally. and i think there is a level of modern-day aesthetic conservatism that is being projected onto her as this tragic/"pure" feminine figure, which has nothing to do with her actual beliefs/politics, and everything to do with how it's being interpreted by a contemporary audience
I definitely agree! I think a lot of people who lean into the CBK aesthetic are more interested in her status/lifestyle (and what they can project onto it) than her clothes. Some of her Yohji looks were cool but arguably would've looked cool on anyone. Even among women who represented that 90s minimal vibe, I don't really think she had the most interesting outfits to draw from.
Exactly! Reminds me of the quiet luxury trend a few years ago
I'd never heard of her before reading her biography last summer either! But I love her style (in large part because my mom, who'd also never heard of her, wore tailored and chic outfits in the 80s and 90s and influenced me lol).
What I found interesting while reading her biography is that she was more of a casual (and colorful) dresser until she got with JFK Jr and was harassed by the press. That's largely when she ditched sneakers and converses for all-black outfits. The goal was apparently to give photographs nothing to photograph, so that they'd get bored of her, which unfortunately never happened. The Yohji outfits she wore to formal occasions were intentionally structural pieces to function almost like an "armor" iirc. But the first three episodes of the show don't show that evolution in style or the fact she'd have more freedom to play around with more eclectic pieces before becoming a public figure.
Anyway food for thought! it's interesting to think about her minimalism (which is celebrated today) being in part a coerced response to aggressive press.
i've been ON that rocky's matcha train ever since i got a tin for christmas 2024 and enjoyed it sooooo much...i've never looked back
girl i'm so excited about it :D
which varieties do you recommend? i'm browsing...
And the Prada tote is now $3,500+ on Poshmark…
ridiculous!!!!!!
CBK LARP-ing is probably the most funniest and annoying phenomenon of recent years in fashion spaces online, as nothing like this wasn't a thing before on that scale happened, it wasn't that specific and obsessed with details before - but also it captures the soulessness of the current substack rowdent types trying to be substitute for a well edited fashion section of a magazine in a way. She's like the guru of a cult for people who bang the drum about personal style yet look same as others.
Carolyn herself was a not even a very special looking woman, honestly pretty much she captured a stereotype of professional long haired blond WW at time (I often think about Jenna Elfman in Keeping the Faith being also embodiment of that stereotype too) - which was everywhere and her style was mediocre. Lot of Gen X yuppie woman in major capitals that were aware of fashion at time dressed like that, wore Prada or Klein. CBK wasn't even that really revered back then for her "style" from what I remember, as after years of dealing with lot of archival print fashion media I can't recall much. I didn't see any pages of V US or HB fawning about her from the period either.
I doubt she'd be revered if she didn't marry into American political royalty, but also I don't think the cult of her would exist if she still were alive, too.
I love CBK style—I’m old enough to remember seeing her pix the first time in magazines and thinking she looked so unattainably chic. It’s just a wool pencil skirt but she wore it well because she knew how things should fit and how to pair it with proportions that looked cohesive— minimalism was the trend at the time,but it is a really tough style to pull off. I think it no longer looks “special” today when personal style is all about the mix or some insufferably coded trend—but I’ll never forget the first time I saw the power of simplicity in clothing and CBK was a very public icon that represented that style (as did Kate Moss, who wore Narciso Rodriguez to Cannes and looked so sleek and utterly herself).
For all my admiration of the way she wore clothes though, it never really occurred to me to emulate her style because it seemed so obvious to me that she (+plus her fame) made the clothes look good, not the other way around. I do love the way she wore jeans and I still wear jeans with a similar fit but becoming a CBK clone is missing the point.
Damn I was gonna get a Calvin Klein wool trenchcoat but didn’t pull the trigger - guess I’ll wait until next winter
Thank youuu! I can also appreciate the style and vibe from afar but I don’t have an identity crisis and need to change my whole vibe to match hers ..