She\u2019s still turning heads \u2014 and inspiring headbands.<\/p>\n
Nearly three decades after Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy\u2019s life was cut short in a devastating plane crash, her chic, minimalist and unfussy style legacy<\/a> lives on \u2014 and Gen Z can\u2019t get enough.<\/p>\n A $36, \u00be-inch tortoiseshell headband made by French hair accessory brand Charles J. Wahba and famously worn by the style icon in the \u201990s has become one of the hottest summer accessories \u2014\u00a0thanks to a recent social-media moment.<\/p>\n Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy\u2019s simple hair accessory is having a moment right now with younger generations. Sygma via Getty Images<\/p>\n As a result, fashion mavens are now swarming C.O. Bigelow pharmacy in the West Village \u2014 where the exact headband is still sold \u2014 to emulate her elegant, effortless look.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the first TikTok video about the headbands [and their association with CBK<\/a>] was made by somebody from the Netherlands who was visiting New York City in 2023,\u201d owner Ian Ginsberg told The Post.\u00a0<\/p>\n While Ginsberg can\u2019t pinpoint exactly when the store began selling the French-made headbands, he said they were likely there \u201cway before\u201d CBK started buying them. <\/p>\n Bessette-Kennedy was known for wearing the no-frills headband around NYC. Emmy Park for N.Y.Post<\/p>\n The resurgence comes amid news of Ryan Murphy\u2019s upcoming FX drama, \u201cAmerican Love Story,\u201d about CBK and John F. Kennedy Jr., a project facing backlash over so-called lackluster costume choices<\/a>. <\/p>\n No matter \u2014 fans are skipping the screen and heading to the spot where CBK once shopped, a fact confirmed<\/a> by Vogue in 2023. <\/p>\n The tortoiseshell option became a street-style staple years ago, thanks to numerous paparazzi shots<\/a> showing CBK wearing oval black shades and the no-frills accessory.<\/p>\n CBK would often be seen around town sporting the now-famous hair wear. Sygma via Getty Images<\/p>\n Ian and his son Alec Ginsberg, the store\u2019s COO, said C.O. Bigelow never promoted the pieces, but sales have exploded since TikTok picked up on the connection<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was never really a resurgence,\u201d Alec said. \u201cThe demand never really died.\u201d <\/p>\n Now, thanks to the recent buzz, sales are spiking again \u2014\u00a0and those in the know say they\u2019re a steal, even at 2025 prices. (Store reps weren\u2019t certain of the price CBK would have paid decades ago.)<\/p>\n \u201cThe headbands are definitely worth the hype,\u201d makeup artist and beauty mogul Olivia Barad told The Post. \u201cThey feel extremely high quality and come in many different widths and colors.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n She added, \u201cThey are also very comfortable, which is super important. I\u2019m very particular about the pattern and color of tortoiseshell that I wear, and these headbands get it absolutely correct.\u201d<\/p>\n Carolina DelRio, the store\u2019s beauty manager, said that when she first started working there a decade ago, the Wahba headbands came in just three colors: tortoiseshell, beige and black.<\/p>\n C.O. Bigelow\u2019s social media manager, Annika Ford, also opts for the same style and coloring preferred by Bessette-Kennedy. Emmy Park for N.Y.Post<\/p>\n Now the store offers similar pieces in more vibrant hues like hot pink and coral.<\/p>\n While many younger fans are just discovering C.O. Bigelow, located at 414 Sixth Ave., the 187-year-old apothecary has long been a family-run landmark drawing shoppers from far beyond Greenwich Village \u2014\u00a0and remains an NYC retail icon.<\/p>\n Since 1838, its mixed personalized remedies and plant-based tinctures have served everyone from Eleanor Roosevelt to Sarah Jessica Parker and Mark Twain.<\/p>\n On Sixth Avenue, C.O. Bigelow isn\u2019t your average drugstore \u2014 it\u2019s America\u2019s oldest apothecary. Emmy Park for N.Y.Post<\/p>\n Accessory expert Natalie O\u2019Rourke dishes out free, custom hair tutorials at the store \u2014 whether you\u2019re channeling Bessette-Kennedy with a headband or going full Parisian with French pins. Emmy Park for N.Y.Post<\/p>\n \u201cThe store has such a classic and timeless charm that is completely in line with<\/a> Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy\u2019s style and aesthetic,\u201d Barad said.<\/p>\n Although C.O. Bigelow is nearly two centuries old, Alec said their customer base has been getting younger \u2014 most likely thanks to CBK\u2019s influence. <\/p>\n \u201cI often help customers find the most flattering accessories for their hair color and always put that beloved tortoiseshell headband out for customers to find easily when I\u2019m creating the displays,\u201d accessories merchandiser Natalie O\u2019Rourke said.<\/p>\n The $36 tortoiseshell staple from French brand Charles J. Wahba is flying off the shelves at Greenwich Village\u2019s C.O. Bigelow \u2014 the very spot CBK used to shop. Emmy Park for N.Y.Post<\/p>\n Apart from C.O. Bigelow, the headbands are also available at Zitomer on Madison Avenue \u2014 a nearly 75-year-old Upper East Side pharmacy where CBK reportedly picked up shampoo and scrunchies.\u00a0<\/p>\n Though Wahba\u2019s hair accessories are sold in about 80 salons and shops nationwide, the brand has no website or social media \u2014 in step with CBK\u2019s low-key ethos, as reported by the New York Times.<\/a><\/p>\n As a Calvin Klein publicist with a razor-sharp eye, the late fashionista favored minimalist power pieces from Prada, Jil Sander and Yohji Yamamoto \u2014 but she was also famously frugal.<\/p>\n Bessette-Kennedy dressed to impress, but was all about practicality. Sygma via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cCarolyn represents this chic, quiet luxury style I think many women want to emulate but feel they can\u2019t afford. So the headbands provide an affordable and accessible way to participate<\/a>,\u201d influencer Beverly Hart told The Post.<\/p>\n According to the 2023 book \u201cCBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion<\/a>\u201d by Sunita Kumair Nair, CBK had full access to luxury brands like Manolo Blahnik and could afford anything \u2014 but only bought what she needed and insisted on paying, instead of accepting a freebie.<\/p>\n CBK stuck to her style playbook \u2014 snapping up crisp white shirts, tailored coats, penny loafers and loads of blackout-worthy black, often buying the same staples in every shade. Her streamlined wardrobe supposedly consisted of just 30 to 40 items.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Young women of today admire CBK\u2019s chic, classic style. Sygma via Getty Images<\/p>\n The long-time publicist\u2019s sartorial influence is stronger than ever these days.<\/p>\n \u201cI think so many New Yorkers and TikTokkers are inspired by her style because while it\u2019s very clean and classic, there is always one element that makes it super unique to her,\u201d Barad said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe had that \u2018It\u2019 factor. Even if an outfit looked simple or just thrown together, it was always done in the most perfect way.\u201d<\/p>\n Hart agreed: \u201cA lot of style icons, while gorgeous and fashionable, wear things that aren\u2019t practical for, say, a 10-minute walk and 25-minute subway ride to work.\u201d<\/p>\n But CBK\u2019s looks are still wearable, she said. <\/p>\n \u201cComfortable shoes, simple silhouettes, dark neutrals. Almost every outfit she wore you could wear to work today \u2014 that\u2019s what makes her unique.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t