My assignment from Over the Moon this week was more challenging than I thought it would be. At first, recreating the iconic wedding of Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr. seemed simple - because that's exactly what it was. The quaint and intimate ceremony in the tiny candle-lit chapel on Cumberland Island, GA - and the handful of photographs that surfaced - have become the picture of Americana-wedding perfection. But the reason why it was hard to capture the understated elegance of the late Calvin Klein PR-exec's nuptials is because that's exactly what she was and still is - a hard-to-replicate enigma. So it had to be more than the the infamous Narcisco Rodriguez dress or now-recognizable red barn door - it had to be the stuff that cult-followings are made after.
I'll be more than honest - I'm not sure if I scored 100% (I didn't) on this one. But I am very sure of one thing - and that is I'm not alone in trying to recreate this je ne sais pas Bessette-ness. Hours of internet research led me e-deep-diving into everything from the shape of her eyebrows to the perfume she wore. And all it took was little snippets about her genius (like the fact she had Bunny Mellon - as in, the designer of the White House rose garden - design her lovely lily of the valley bouquet) to cross my t's and dot my i's on the figurative Carolyn Bessette cult application form.
And by that, I mean I bought the Egyptian Musk Oil she *apparently* wore as her signature scent. Sue me - I'm a sucker for internet brainwashing! It's a little bottle, only fifteen bones, and I'm convinced it's witchcraft in liquid form. It's a faint, clean smell that's hard to describe - kinda like our cult-leader. But I've been mixing it with a few sprinkles of Coqui Coqui Maderas, a sandalwood spray I got on a trip to Tulum a few years back, and Blvgari Au Thé Bleu - and by golly if I'm not a natural-born fragrance mixologist. The oil picks up notes of both scents in a way that leaves me smellin' fresh and crisp throughout the day. I can't stop sniffing myself or talking about Carolyn Bessette - so for your sake - this is where I leave you.
Flower Girl Dress - Brock Collection x Maisonette// Weekend Bag - Paravel