For starters, Mance and his wardrobe assistants scoured the internet for specific designer pieces that CBK wore during the decade, everything from Yohji Yamamoto to Prada to Hermès Birkin bags. “There were collectors that we were able to pull from—and whether or not it was the actual piece that she herself wore, they wore the same pieces from the same collection,” says Pidgeon. “We found her Prada and Valentino coats, and fitted some Levi’s so that they looked exactly how they fit Carolyn.”
Pidgeon learned that Bassette-Kennedy was a big fan of labels like Calvin Klein (naturally, since she was a publicist there), Prada, and Yohji Yamamoto. “Yamamoto is quoted as saying that he wanted to design clothing that felt like armor for women,” says Pidgeon. “Carolyn wore a lot of Yamamoto to different fundraisers and galas that she and John would attend together.” Given her wardrobe revolved around quiet classics—think great jeans, crisp collared shirts, and dress trousers—the process of costuming CBK for the screen essentially came down to nailing the fit and finer details. Especially the shoes. “The shoes that I got to wear were incredible—Manolo heels, Prada boots,” Pidgeon says. “I got a lot better at walking in heels after the show, I’ll tell you that much.”
For the splashy Love Story premiere in New York tonight, meanwhile, Pidgeon wanted to nod to her character’s distinctive dressing approach with her very own red carpet look. The actor chose a statement look from the Chanel pre-fall 2026 collection, designed by Matthieu Blazy, pairing tailored black wool trousers with a long, sleeveless silk waistcoat that embroidered with multicolor beads and mint green feathers. “I’m not sure I have a reference of Carolyn in feathers, but there’s a lot of stuff we didn’t see, so who’s to say that didn’t happen?” asks Pidgeon.
The look was indeed a fitting choice, given that the Chanel collection was presented here in New York—a city that CBK famously lived in and loved—and was even staged on an underground subway platform, for even more of an authentic slant). “I saw it walk down the subway runway, and immediately snapped a terribly blurry photo and sent it to my stylist Emma Jade Morrison,” says Pidgeon. It felt like the perfect intentional outfit to wear on the carpet. “The show was all about the New York woman, and obviously Carolyn is the New York woman,” she says. “And so much of our show is a love letter to New York.”
Pidgeon nd Morrison modified the look somewhat, swapping the khaki runway trousers for a pair of black pants (very CBK). She also accessorized with glitzy Chanel Coco Crush fine jewelry pieces (she is a face for the jewelry and timepieces). “There is a timelessness to the pieces, but also a playfulness,” says Pidgeon of the jewels. “Carolyn did have this playful energy: You could see it in pieces like her amazing leopard coats, or Selima Optique sunglasses. And, a little sparkle never hurt anybody.”