Leilani Rivera, a University of Wisconsin-Madison sophomore, first discovered Carolyn Bessette Kennedy on social media. After watching TikTok slideshows titled “How to dress like Carolyn Bessette Kennedy,” and “The Carolyn Bessette Kennedy Effect,” Rivera was drawn to Hulu’s new series “Love Story,” which stars Bessette as the female lead in a dramatic retelling of her rocky, front-page relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr.
“I did not know about her before the show,” Rivera said. She was especially drawn to Bessette’s ability to make businesswear look chic. The show inspired Rivera to recreate the Bessette look with the clothes she had in her own closet.
Rivera’s own style mixes streetwear and businesswear. She enjoys ballet-inspired looks, including capris, Mary Janes, simple heels and crisp, white button-ups. A lot of her looks are inspired from TikTok, Pinterest and ‘90s movie stars…