How to get Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s unfussy blonde

WORDS Cassandra Dimitroff PHOTOGRAPHY Getty PUBLISHED Mon, 23 Jun 2025 - 11:30 am

There’s something about a Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy blonde that continues to haunt moodboards and salon consultations decades on. It’s not platinum, nor is it beachy. It lives somewhere in the soft-focus space between champagne and honey — a studied, unfussy blonde that screamed quiet luxury before the concept was even a trend.

But despite it's well-documented perfection, Ryan Murphy's latest TV venture – set to follow the love story of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette – seems to have missed the mark. Actor Sarah Pidgeon’s transformation into Carolyn has been met with heated debate online, with fans quick to critique not only the wardrobe choices, but the hair transformation. "That hair is nothing close to the bright, shiny low/high lighted hair she had..." said one commenter on Murphy's Instagram post. "This hair is dry, brittle, platinum, and it washes her out. CBK had warm blonde hair that made her not look like a corpse," said another.

Bessette's own colourist even joined the debate, Brad Johns, famed for creating Carolyn’s still-talked-about 90s blonde (he also counted Kate Moss, Christy Turlington and Cindy Sherman as clients). “No one would believe that Carolyn in the ’90s would ever have that colour from me. It’s too 2024," Johns said in response to the images. "We worked really hard to get right," he continued. "I went in and put the highlight chunks in three foils around the front of her face, and then two underneath for when she wore her hair up."

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So, how do you get it?

The key is in the tone. A Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy blonde was never brassy, and it certainly wasn’t bright. Instead, it’s what colourists now refer to as a “neutral-warm” blonde: buttery without leaning too golden, and grounded by beige lowlights that give it dimension and depth. The goal isn’t to look highlighted, but illuminated. Johns described dying her naturally light brown hair a "toffee" colour, before going in with his signature chunking technique.

Achieving it starts with restraint. Over-lightening can strip the colour of its nuance. Ask your colourist for a root-shadowed blonde that allows for natural depth at the base, with hand-painted highlights woven subtly through the mid-lengths and ends. The best Bessette blondes are low-maintenance, yet high-impact – more tone-on-tone than contrast-heavy.

Equally important is the gloss. Carolyn’s hair never looked fried or over-processed. A demi-permanent glaze every six weeks will keep the tone cool-but-not-ashy and add that reflective sheen that reads expensive. Think silk rather than straw.

And then there’s the cut. Carloyn's hair was rarely overstyled – usually worn in a middle part, either tucked behind the ears or tied back into a sleek chignon. A one-length or lightly layered cut helps maintain thickness and integrity, especially when lightening.

At home, maintenance means care without fuss. We'd recommend using a sulphate-free shampoo, a nourishing mask once a week, and a purple-toned treatment only when brass threatens. And don’t forget the leave-in – the best blondes are hydrated ones.