Fashion brands and free PR? Now that’s a love story.
Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette” has reignited our collective fascination with the late couple, who were tabloid fixtures and paparazzi magnets before they died in a tragic 1999 plane crash.
Thanks to the FX show, fans of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s simple, sophisticated style are lining up outside the late icon’s favorite NYC pharmacy to purchase her favorite headbands, selling her signature scent online for thousands of dollars and rushing to snap up her go-to bootcut Levi’s.
And then there’s CBK’s unconventional Narciso Rodriguez wedding dress, a minimalist white slip that’s inspired brides for years.
But the nine-episode series shows the entirety of the couple’s relationship, including Bessette’s years spent working in the PR department at Calvin Klein (and dressing the part in clean, crisp ’90s neutrals).
Plucked from a Calvin Klein store in Massachusetts, the beautiful blonde climbed the ranks from saleswoman to director of publicity before quitting in 1996, shortly after her wedding.
Klein — both the brand and the man, played in “Love Story” by Alessandro Nivola — feature heavily in the show, as the designer introduced the couple. CBK worked closely on growing the brand’s grungy, sexually playful aesthetic, and was responsible for plucking Kate Moss out of obscurity for an underwear campaign with “Marky Mark” Wahlberg.
And while both Sarah Pidgeon (who plays Bessette) and Paul Anthony Kelly (who portrays JFK Jr.) were relative unknowns before being cast in the controversial series, perhaps no one’s stock has risen more than Calvin Klein in the weeks since it began streaming.
Though neither the brand nor its eponymous designer appears to have had any formal involvement in the show or its costumes, Calvin Klein earned $16.1 million in media impact value from mentions of “Love Story,” John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette in the month since the show’s Feb. 12 premiere episode, according to brand performance firm Launchmetrics.
Media impact value “allows brands to assign a monetary value to every post, interaction or article to measure its impact and identify contributions to brand performance,” a rep for Launchmetrics tells Page Six Style.
On Feb. 13, Calvin Klein — now designed by Veronica Leoni — staged its runway show during New York Fashion Week with new and old friends of the brand in attendance, like Brooke Shields and “Heated Rivalry” star François Arnaud.
Grace Gummer, who plays Caroline Kennedy in the show, was there with husband Mark Ronson, but Pidgeon and Kelly were not.
Shockingly, it took weeks for Pidgeon to be outfitted in Calvin; the actress finally closed out awards season at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in a custom sparkling gown and purse shaped like a bottle of CK One perfume.
It was an interesting choice of accessory; Bessette has no real connection to the fragrance, which is considered the first commercial unisex scent, though she was at the company when it hit the market in 1994. It appeared a moment to highlight the brand’s history, independent of Pidgeon’s work.
Considering the brand’s history of casting pop culture icons and up-and-comers in its campaigns, a “Love Story” moment felt practically guaranteed. But rather than feature the show’s actors in its Valentine’s Day campaign, the brand chose to go with “Tell Me Lies” stars (and real-life couple) Grace Van Patten and Jackson White.
“In 2026, the real question isn’t how big the MIV number is, it’s what you do with the attention,” Small Girls PR CEO and co-founder Mallory Blair tells us.
“MIV is a proxy for visibility. Think of it as proof you’ve opened the door. Now that you’re in, you need to drive the business. The brands that win are going to treat moments like this as the starting line of the race,” she says.
“In this case, Calvin Klein was handed a resurgence in cultural relevance on a silver platter.”
As for what Blair — who has worked on campaigns for companies ranging from start-up Billie to juggernaut Olay — would’ve advised the brand do with all the eyeballs?
“Start with the obvious miss: Sarah Pidgeon should have been front row at fashion week. That turns her spotlight directly onto pieces viewers can actually buy,” she says.
Other ways the Calvin Klein team could’ve capitalized on the moment, according to Blair? A limited capsule inspired by CBK’s iconic looks, or a simple “shop the episode” experience. The brand might’ve also driven extra traffic to its stores by giving them a temporary ’90s makeover to mimic the office setup seen onscreen — white orchids and all.
“Attention matters. It matters even more when you act on it,” Blair says. “If you’re not converting the moment, you’re wasting it.
