By Crystal Puga
Recently Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s ‘90s style has taken the spotlight – both online and in real life. People crowd C.O. Bigelow Chemists in NYC for her headband and pose in a black turtleneck, denim pants, and round sunglasses on TikTok to the song “American Wedding.” The same looks flood our feeds and streets, but when does inspiration turn into imitation?
It begins when you try to buy the exact piece instead of using what you already have in your closet, and when the look doesn’t include any elements of your own personality. Bessette had a cool, effortless spirit that drew people to her simple, sophisticated and refined style.
“And I think that’s what everyone’s kind of misinterpreting, is that it’s not just about her style, it’s about her aura. And so, when we stand there, and we try to imitate her exact style and go to all these different stores to pick up the exact pieces and spend two hours in the morning trying to pick out the perfect CBK outfit, we’re getting it wrong,” says Darby Bray, a sophomore at SMU.
Bray has hopped on the CBK trend, posting a TikTok with the text “cbk was the inspo for work today.” She wears a white button-up (a piece of clothing that Bessette resurrected), with dark blue shorts, loafers, and a black belt with large gold buckles. The belt points to Bray’s maximalist style, as she always wears a stack, whether on her ears, neck or wrists, and her curated wardrobe can accommodate any trend.
“We’ve been in a heavy trend/aesthetic cycle that most don’t have strong wardrobes that they love, and instead it’s all disjointed items from different aesthetics for certain outfits,” says Jackie Napolitano, who wore the same classic crisp white button-up in her TikTok and paired it with an ostrich pin and Pucci skirt. She captioned this ootd with “being an individual is chicer than any trend.”
Napolitano and Bray remain authentic by sticking to their own personal style and adding unique touches to whatever they wear, even a simple T-shirt and jeans. But this isn’t something that comes easily to everyone, especially Gen-Z.
The 14 to 29 year old demographic has access to much more information, including what other people are wearing all around the world – and this overload can be overwhelming. The uncomplicated thing to do every day becomes conforming to purchasing and dressing in the trending clothes they see, suggests Phia Dennis, a Consumer Digest on Substack.
Dennis also stood out among all the other creators participating and using #cbk on TikTok, as she gravitates towards colorful clothing. Color defines her acquired style, and her video had the following text: “In a world of CBK copycats stay colorful.”
From these four different women, including Bessette, we can appreciate strong, curated wardrobes that reflect the best versions of ourselves. You can still be an individual and a minimalist like Bessette by personalizing your clothes and taking the time to find looks that make you recognizable, remembering that your clothes should be an expression of your inner self, not someone else’s.
