How Love Story Recreated Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s Iconic ’90s Blonde Hair

Of the many style influences Carolyn Bessette Kennedy left us with, one of the most recognizable is her famous sunny blonde hair. Whether it was tousled by hand or pulled back in a tortoiseshell headband, Bessette’s length and color followed the same effortless code of her wardrobe, leaving us with enduring hair inspiration even after her untimely passing.

Following the premiere of Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, there’s been renewed interest in CBK’s ’90s blonde; with its dark roots, golden streaks, and effortless texture, the look is difficult to recreate in today’s era of endless tools and salon services. Case in point: Those early images from the Love Story set, which sparked outrage from fans and criticism from Bessette’s colorist for its styling inaccuracy.

Love Story hair designer Barry Lee Moe went to extreme lengths to get the texture and color just right for actress Sarah Pidgeon, who portrays Bessette in the limited series. The process began with a big obstacle: Upon being cast, Pidgeon had a dark brunette bob, tasking Moe with the ultimate hair transformation.

“When I came onto the project, I came on a little bit late and we knew that we wanted to use her own hair,” says Moe. “So the starting point was, How do we get this beautiful young actress from a dark brown bob to Carolyn Bessette’s wavy, dimensional ’90s blonde?”

Moe enlisted the best in the business, first asking Tracey Cunningham, a go-to colorist for celebs like Jennifer Garner, Emma Stone, and Dakota Johnson, for advice. Cunningham immediately connected him with colorist Kari Hill and hairstylist Alex Pardoe, who collaborated with Moe on the final look.

“Kari and Alex were absolutely crucial in making this happen because we couldn’t do it with clip-in extensions,” Moe says. “We couldn’t do it with a wig. It needed to be her own hair, and it needed to look like her own hair. We were really concerned about the health of Sarah’s hair, knowing that it was going to be such a transformation.”

The end result? Two blonde looks that faithfully mirrored Bessette’s evolution. “So in the earlier years of her relationship with John, the color was carefree, with more dimension and rogue pieces,” says Hill. “And then towards the later ’90s, it became less dimensional. And that was also a very buttery golden blonde. Both so beautiful, both had its place. I love the younger, carefree dimensional blonde and the sophisticated, calm, cool, collected blonde that just went with her entire wardrobe from head to toe. And it was just so depicting of what her life was.”