By Ashley Hefner, Photographer and Staff Writer
In December, my sister came to visit me from Toronto. She had a list of “must-go-to” stores in New York City, and one of them was C.O. Bigelow. I had no idea what this store was, so I asked her what she needed from there.
“I need a headband,” she said.
But not just any headband — the kind Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy used to wear.
When we got to the store, I asked the staff about the headband prices. They ranged from $36 to $40. I remember thinking, “Who spends that much money on a headband?” To me, it seemed completely unnecessary and bizarre, but my sister felt differently. These were the exact headbands Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy wore. She tried a couple on, bought one and then we left.
On February 12, the first episode of the FX series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette premiered on Hulu, with new episodes airing weekly through March 26. The series quickly reignited public fascination with the couple, who were killed in a tragic plane crash in 1999, and renewed interest in Besette’s iconic minimalist style in particular, including her headbands.
The show, particularly in the first couple episodes, depicts Besette as someone with a very specific kind of confidence — a kind that is nonchalant yet very apparent. In one episode, for example, when she first meets JFK Jr., arguably one of the most desirable bachelors of the ‘90s, she doesn’t give him her number, even though he shows clear interest in her. After she turns him down, Kennedy Jr. shows up at her job at Calvin Klein, where Bessette calmly measures him for a suit while holding a pencil in her mouth, maintaining a steady, alluring eye contact. Even after they officially start dating and develop a sweet relationship, she continues to maintain this power. After John Kennedy Jr. proposes, instead of accepting right off the bat, Bessette makes him wait weeks before deciding whether or not she wants to marry him.
These moments present Bessette as someone who knows who she is and does what she wants, not what others expect. She does not chase attention, nor is she immediately impressed by fame. She moves through life with a classy composure that makes her seem effortlessly cool — the kind of person people want nothing more than to emulate.
After watching the first couple of episodes, I began to feel a longing for the headband, so I went back to C.O. Bigelow. When I was there with my sister, the store was relatively empty. This time, it was packed. Dozens of women crowded at the front of the store, trying on and purchasing the iconic headband.
Two headbands, one French pin later and $120 poorer (sorry Mom!), I asked the cashier, out of curiosity, whether the headbands had been selling more than usual.
“Oh yeah,” she said. “Left, right and center. And it’ll probably continue through the summer because of the show.”
This seemed true, because only a week later, on my third visit to the store to get more accessories, I was told that the “CBK headbands” were completely sold out.
The cashier’s response and the rapid sale of the headbands led to a question: why do so many women, myself included, want this crazy expensive headband in the first place?
I think the answer has to do less with the headband itself and more to do with what it represents. The version of Bessette portrayed in the show exudes a suave, classy, subtle confidence that many people strive to match — the “it girl” who doesn’t seem to care about being the “it girl.” Buying the headband felt like buying a tiny piece of that persona. When I put it on, for some reason, I felt more confident. I couldn’t help but want to emulate her quiet poise and “clean-girl” aesthetic.
Confidence does not actually come from a $40 accessory. But there is power in imitation. Sometimes, copying someone you admire — even in a small, tangible way — can feel like accessing a new version of yourself.
Maybe that’s the way trends really work. It’s not that people suddenly need a specific item, in this case, a headband. Rather, it’s about what they want the headband to provide — an effortless, cool, confident character. The headband craze exemplifies a broader societal pattern: trends often form around cultural figures who have certain traits that people want to imitate. When a figure becomes increasingly popular, like through a TV show, their style can become a way to access their identity.
The same headband I once judged my sister for wanting is now sitting on my own dresser. Even though I know it’s just a headband, I still put it on almost everyday — not because I need it in order to come off as confident, but rather because it makes me feel like I too can exude the energy that Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy gave off to the world.
Photo Credit: Ashley Hefner