In a world where trends tend to dictate fashion, personal style is, arguably, slowly dying. Here at Vanderbilt, it seems as though every casual look is some variation of a Parke sweatshirt, Lululemon leggings and a Longchamp Le Pliage tote on the arm, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I, too, have fallen into some of these trends myself as a Generation Z student, and I believe they are equally stylish as they are popular. However, there is something to be said about the fact that access to social media appears to be intensifying trends, and in turn, the predictability of Gen Z fashion.
Trending at this very moment is the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. Videos related to her style have been all over my “for you” page when I open social media. This resurgence in her style has arisen as the new Ryan Murphy series “Love Story” — which follows the lives of her and her late husband, John F. Kennedy Jr. — is reaching the Gen Z audience and introducing the couple, who passed away in 1999, to many for the first time.
At the young age of 13, I discovered Bessette Kennedy in an old Vogue article I stumbled upon. I became instantly infatuated with her story, classiness, sense of self-respect and, of course, her style. She has been inspiring my thoughts on fashion as a way to express and carry oneself, even when most of my peers did not have a clue as to who she was. Seven years later, I found it somewhat shocking to find my feed swarmed with videos of other people my age now trying to recreate her style.
Yet, what is most intriguing to me is that while everyone is dropping links to different minimalist clothing pieces to emulate her effortless 1990’s style, no one seems to mention the most important thing about Bessette Kennedy’s style. She and her style are so captivating because it is less about the pieces or colors she wore. Instead, what made Bessette Kennedy so awe-inspiring was her commitment to personal style.
There is nothing wrong with acquiring some pieces reminiscent of her wardrobe. After all, her taste was credible as she had worked her way up from being a sales assistant to the Director of Publicity at Calvin Klein in New York City during the 1990s, a simply iconic era of fashion.
But most of the trends surrounding her are arguably promoting ways to almost recreate her style exactly, such as recommending dupes for her iconic beige pencil skirt or linking her Levi’s 517 bootcut jeans. At the same time, I have seen fashion content creators encouraging viewers to follow her taste in how to dress, like choosing not to wear any logos and skipping jewelry almost entirely. As I have been consuming the videos, they have left me with such mixed emotions.
I admire that my generation is finally appreciating the fashion icon that Bessette Kennedy was, but at the same time, I feel like we are getting it wrong. We are not all going to be as iconic as her by just purchasing an entire closet full of clothes like hers. Because Bessette Kennedy was not iconic for simply wearing neutrals or being minimalist, she was iconically captivating because she had a style that was centered around her individuality. She was never trying to be anyone; even when she married into the Kennedy family, she remained true to herself and her style.
This idea of individuality is right in front of Gen Z’s noses, yet it seems to be glossed over through “get ready with me” videos and marketing collaborations with influencers. Bessette Kennedy cleverly used style to represent herself. It is time we learn that style is less about trying to exactly replicate someone or purchasing pieces entirely on the basis of a trend, only to abandon the piece in our closet six months later. As a young society, we must get to know ourselves a little better and embrace our individuality. If so, Vanderbilt’s campus might become more fashionable than we could have ever imagined.