abrams&chronicle CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy / Sunita Nair

Fashion and creative director Sunita Kumar Nair presents Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion, which pays homage to the style icon’s timeless, distinguished beauty, and legacy in the first book of its kind. Foreword by Gabriela Hearst, award-winning designer to First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Preface by Edward Enninful, OBE, Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue Long blonde hair, an iconic red lip, and effortless style—all signatures of fashion icon Carolyn Bessette Kennedy.

Carolyn used fashion as her medium. She hadn’t found her voice yet in front of the camera as Mrs. Kennedy, so she let her fashion speak to the world for her. With her attention to detail, strict color palette, and unique, unidentifiable looks with the brand labels deliberately removed, she was the essence of class—no label would ever define her.

She didn’t choose to abide by the typical patrician standard expected from a woman of her position who had married into a family dynasty; instead, she did the unexpected and wore her revolutionary clothes with aplomb, confidence, and grace.

Featuring spectacular photography and design, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion gathers the greats in the fashion world to speak of her timeless style and presents never-before-published personal anecdotes from friends and family, including such fashion luminaries as Graydon Carter, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Manolo Blahnik, Wes Gordon, Tory Burch, and Samira Nasr.

This book is the ultimate commemoration of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s style, fashion code, and the impact she left behind nearly two decades later. Includes Color Images