In June, a piece once owned by Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy went on sale for the first time ever. But if you missed out on purchasing her Yohji Yamamoto wrap dress, don’t fret. The closet of the minimalist fashion icon is once again opening, and some of her most desirable items can be yours. This November, Sotheby’s will be auctioning off three pieces from Bessette-Kennedy’s personal wardrobe.
The items will be a part of Sotheby’s second annual “Fashion Icons” auction, which last year boasted lots from Princess Diana, Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna, and Michelle Obama. Bessette-Kennedy’s offerings—two coats and a jacket—were gifted to the auction house by the former publicist’s close friend, RoseMarie Terenzio, who acted as John F. Kennedy Jr.’s executive assistant in the ’90s. “Carolyn has left an indelible mark on fashion and on those who knew her,” Terenzio said in a statement. “Her pieces are symbols of a woman that continues to inspire style and captivate the public’s imagination. These historical pieces deserve to be cherished and properly preserved, to honor Carolyn’s legacy and ensure she is remembered.”
The first piece up for auction is a vintage, double-breasted faux-leopard fur coat, one of Bessette-Kennedy’s favorites. In her 2012 memoir, Fairy Tale Interrupted: A Memoir of Life, Love and Loss, Terenzio recalls when Bessette-Kennedy urged her to try the coat on before a first date. “She said, ‘It looks perfect on you. You should keep it. I’ve been photographed in it so many times, [the media] are going to start making fun of me.’” The coat, which is unlabeled, is from 1969, and Bessette-Kennedy was seen wearing it multiple times alongside her husband in the mid-’90s before gifting it to Terenzio.
There is also a Prada wool coat up for sale, which Bessette-Kenedy donned throughout the later half of the ’90s, including while en route to Bill Clinton’s inauguration on January 19, 1997. It is assumed to be from Prada’s autumn/winter 1996/1997 collection, and is estimated to sell for $15,000-$20,000.
Bessette-Kennedy in the Prada coat on January 19, 1997.
Lawrence Schwartzwald/Sygma via Getty Images
Bessette-Kennedy’s portion of the auction is rounded out by a Yohji Yamamoto wool double-breasted jacket that she wore to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal event in March 1997. Clearly, Bessette-Kennedy was a fan on Yomamoto’s work, as this is the second of her Yohji Yamamoto pieces to go up for auction. The first was a black silk wrap trench dress from the designer’s spring/summer 1998 collection, which was auctioned off by Bonhams this summer. The dress, which Bessette-Kennedy wore in 1998 at the members-only Supper Club, sold for almost $9,000.
The “Fashion Icons” auction will open for online bidding on November 27 and closes December 17. Those who want to see the items in person can visit Sotheby’s New York, where they will be on display from December 5-10.
