Sarah Pidgeon Finally Embraces Caroline Bessette-Kennedy’s Favorite Designer

Since her breakout turn as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in FX’s Love Story, Sarah Pidgeon has been leaning into a minimalist look adjacent to the fashionable figure’s own iconic wardrobe. However, in recent weeks, that stark aesthetic has incorporated more unique and subtly artisanal details on the red carpet—particularly as Love Story petitions for Emmy Awards consideration. At a FYC screening event for the show, Pidgeon took a more referential approach to CBK’s minimalism while embracing one of her all-time favorite designers: Yohji Yamamoto.

For the aforementioned Love Story screening, Pidgeon stepped out in a lightweight black Yamamoto dress. However, this was far from your average LBD. Her flowing piece featured a squared neckline with one long, ruffled sleeve gathered at the sides. Meanwhile, the other featured a flounced, off-the-shoulder shape with a long slit, creating an asymmetrical appearance.

To further the piece’s minimalism, Pidgeon’s look was only worn with a dark pedicure and thin black slingback sandals, drawing further focus to the dress’s textures and technique. A wavy, undone hairstyle—much like her hair as Bessette-Kennedy on Love Story, which has been a frequent topic of discussion since the shoe premiered—further enhanced her nod to the late style icon.

Decades ago, Bessette-Kennedy frequently wore Yamamoto’s pieces for their structural forms and subtly simple silhouettes. One of her most iconic was from a Whitney benefit event, featuring a white shirt from the Japanese designer’s menswear collection tucked into a black skirt from his women’s line. Other styles, including a ruffled opera coat and structural suiting, similarly struck a chord between classic elegance and avant-garde flair. Yamamoto’s designs both continued Bessette-Kennedy’s own intricate minimalism while progressing her look during her marriage to John F. Kennedy Jr. from 1996 to 1999, where she was documented nearly exclusively wearing his pieces.

With her own Yamamoto ensemble, Pidgeon took an approach to method dressing as Bessette-Kennedy that was more referential than literal. By nodding to the late figure’s style and the beloved designer that was a constant in her wardrobe, the actor’s approach was formally appropriate while showing a take on Bessette-Kennedy’s look that we haven’t seen before. Plus, given Yamamoto’s artisanal techniques and commitment to form, this is one CBK-inspired look the West Village girls can’t replicate overnight.