Vanity Fair September 1999 : The Private Princess

Sometime in 1997 Carolyn posed for a series of photographs by Bruce Weber, commissioned by

John for their personal collection. After the pair's untimely death in 1999, Vanity Fair magazine published the photos, along with a short story editorial on Carolyn, as a post-humous tribute.

Cover of Vanity Fair September 1999 by Bruce Weber

The September 1999 issue coincided with the annual Style Issue, a celebration of the year's finest taste-makers and trendsetters in the world of style. Carolyn was the perfect fit for such an issue, having lead the pared down fashion pack of the late nineties, but it was also a somber issue marking some of the last photos we'd see of Carolyn.

As I mentioned above, these photos were taken in 1997 - when Carolyn's hair was at its blondest and her eyebrows were at their thinnest! Carolyn wore a black button down shirt and what looks like dark brown corduroys (she was often seen in this combination).

I think a lot of Carolyn fans will agree with me when I say that these are the best photos of Carolyn out there. I couldn't think of a better photographer than Bruce Weber to capture Carolyn's honest and playful personality. John and Carolyn's dog Friday even makes an appearance, along with some well-mannered puppies and birds! I especially love that photo of Friday placing his paw on Carolyn's back.

Unfortunately I don't have this magazine in my possession but I did manage to find a large image of the cover as well as some great scanned images (at the bottom of the post). Since I don't have it in my possession I'm not too sure of which order the photos go on but these are all of the ones I've gathered on the web from this shoot! Is there anyone out there with a copy who'd be willing to help organize these photos (or provide some well needed scans!)?

You can read the short article here and as always click "read more" to see the rest of the images!

Welcome to CBK Wardrobe!

The first picture I ever saw of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was one taken from her photoshoot with Bruce Weber, later published in Vanity Fair magazine. The picture prompted me to go on a rapid internet search of this unknown beauty only to stumble upon a fashion icon. I've had many style inspirations in the past but no one has stayed in my mind like CBK. 

Carolyn photographed by Bruce Weber

There used to be some really great sites on CBK - Ultimate Carolyn and Simply Carolyn - but sadly the owners of those websites shut them down. But I couldn't just let her story disappear in the internet archives, so this blog will be a tribute to both Carolyn and her style. Hopefully this blog will do her some justice.