Exceptional Fashion: including items from the wardrobe of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy
Fri, Feb 13, 2026 02:00PM EST - Tue, Mar 3, 2026 10:00AM EST
Timed Auction
Lot 3
Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's Yohji Yamamoto little black dress, 1990s
Estimate: $10,000 - $20,000
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $10 |
| $100 | $20 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
labelled, size S, twill wool, with oversized collar, concealed front zipper and two flap pockets to hips, bust 34in, 86cm, waist 30in, 76cm, length 43in, 106cm
Carolyn Bessette Kennedy personally gifted this coat to Rosemarie Terenzio, John F. Kennedy Jr's assistant and confidant to the couple, during the 1990s.
Carolyn wore this dress to attend an event marking the anniversary of the Apollo space program, March 5th, 1998. To view CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE
To read The New York Times article featuring this dress CLICK HERE
Click the 'PROVENANCE' tab for further information.
Condition
Good condition.
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Carolyn Bessette Kennedy personally gifted this coat to Rosemarie Terenzio, John F. Kennedy Jr's assistant and confidant to the couple, during the 1990s.
Carolyn wore this dress to attend an event marking the anniversary of the Apollo space program, March 5th, 1998. To view CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE
The Little Black Dress was a staple in Carolyn's wardrobe, particularly those by one of her favorite designers: Yohji Yamamoto. The designer and the style icon shared a love of subtle yet clever construction, and the color black. This choice was simple and demure, but with the oversized collar giving it a unique twist- classically 'CBK'.
The color itself is quintessentially 'New York', with outside observers often commenting on the frequency with which New Yorker's wear it. Journalist Amy Larocca describes the penchant: 'We wear black because we’re not tourists...because we are, in a sense, with the band. The band is New York, and the color is black' (The Cut/New York Magazine, 2016). Yohji Yamamoto observes: 'Black is modest and arrogant at the same time...but above all, black says this: ‘I don’t bother you, you don’t bother me.’ And what could be more 'New Yorker' than that?
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