Sarah Pidgeon’s Carolyn Bessette Blonde Transformation Took 20 Hours

While a certain kind of fashion girl has spent the past decade recreating specific Carolyn Bessette Kennedy looks down to the exact vintage shoes, the late icon’s style has exploded in popularity since the first season of Ryan Murphy’s Love Story was announced last year. Every outlet and TikToker has pumped out a guide to dressing like the publicist; her reported favorite fragrance is going for $2,500 on eBay, and NYC’s C.O. Bigelow, where CBK bought her tortoiseshell headbands, has sold six figures worth of hair accessories since the series’ premiere.

And with good reason. Her minimalist style looks classic and timeless, even 30 years later, without ever veering into boring territory. But what goes under-discussed is how much her signature bright blonde shade made her outfits pop. As a fellow haver of long blonde hair, I can confirm how much work it does carrying a look.

So, it was essential that Love Story got Bessette Kennedy’s hair just right. The first attempt—a screen test of Sarah Pidgeon, who plays Bessette, in a stick-straight white blonde wig and fast fashion trench coat—was met with a less than warm and fuzzy reception from the internet. Luckily, the production pivoted, and colorist Kari Hill took Pidgeon, a natural brunette, to a gorgeous warm blonde, and stylist Barry Lee Moe tousled her hair to imperfect perfection.

Ahead, Hill and Moe fill us in on all the behind-the-scenes secrets on Pidgeon’s transformation, and how to get the look yourself.

The Inspiration

Moe joined the production late alongside costume designer Rudy Mance, so he had limited time to get to work. “I think there was an immense amount of pressure to get it right, because the whole world was watching. We  were all deeply invested in the accuracy, but also the energy of this dynamic woman, and the goal was always to bring her essence to the character without losing Sarah’s magic.” Luckily, there were plenty of images to pull from for research, even with the minimal notice.

Moe turned to two books in particular, CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life In Fashion and Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, to inform the looks, as well as a meticulous image timeline created by the production team. “When you’re re-creating the likeness of someone historical, it’s important to infuse the design with as much factual information as possible. All of these sources gave me visual and emotional references to guide me along the way. There’s a wealth of knowledge in the stories shared by the people who surrounded her during that era.”

Hill also had plenty of images to pull from, as well as her personal memories of the era. “Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s blonde is one of the most intentional and iconic blondes in modern history, so the research process was incredibly detailed,” she explains. “Her color was always an inspiration to me—we all wanted to be her.”

Her Hair Evolution

When the series starts in the early ’90s, Bessette is a publicist at Calvin Klein by day and a party girl by night, and her hair is a darker blonde shade that she wore in loose, easy waves. Once she marries John F. Kennedy Jr., she adopts the brighter blonde shade and sleek blowout she’s most known for. It was important to Hill and Moe to not only show the passage of time with Pidgeon’s hair but also use it to reflect Bessette’s journey.

“The visual element of storytelling can often say just as much as the words spoken by the actors, and with Carolyn, I always saw her hair as a reflection of her life circumstances,” explains Moe. “In the beginning of the series, she’s young and carefree. Her hair carries that energy with its bold, dimensional color and wild, natural texture. As the series progresses, we see her slowly shift into a woman who is more guarded, using her hair as an extension of her uniform, almost like armor. The color gets lighter, and the texture disappears, perhaps a reflection of the controlled chaos that surrounded her.”

Luckily, the show was shot in chronological order, so Hill could ease Pidgeon’s hair into the classic Bessette Blonde (and maintain consistency). “In the early ’90s, Carolyn’s blonde had heavy dimensional contrast—deeper tones underneath with bold, buttery, chunky highlights layered over the surface,” she says. “It felt daring and directional but still polished. That contrast is what gave it presence. I took great care to recreate her high-contrast, darker ‘dirty blonde’ early ’90s color, and then the brighter, buttery, more polished late ’90s blonde. It was important to honor the progression of her hair color throughout the era.”

Pidgeon’s Bessette Blonde Transformation

“I took a methodical, ‘low and slow’ approach,” explains Hill of Pidgeon’s major transformation. “Sarah started with very dark hair, so the initial transformation was a nearly 20-hour process,” explains Hill. “My priority was protecting the integrity of her hair while slowly lifting the color to reach the classic Bessette Blonde.”

Hill used Schwarzkopf Professional color to create the look, developing a technique called “Foiled Cashmere” in the process. The technique relies on “a combination of full-head foiling to the root paired with bespoke, gradient toning,” she explains. “The toning of the foils is what gives hair that beautiful, blended dimension and silky smoothness reminiscent of a luxurious cashmere sweater.”

“To get it right, I used full-head precision foiling using Schwarzkopf BlondMe Lightener 9+ in multiple directional patterns—horizontal, vertical, and diagonal placements. Each foil lifted to slightly different levels, because authenticity comes from variation. This method was a major departure from the type of ‘lived-in’ color that most consumers request from their colorists, now like hair painting or balayage. The placement is far more intentional.”

If you want to get a similar look for yourself, Hill always recommends bringing a photo to your colorist so they can see what kind of dimension you’re looking for, and to ask for the Foiled Cashmere technique—full-head foiling paired with bespoke toning. “It’s important to emphasize that this look is about intentional placement and gradient toning, not a single flat blonde,” she adds. “What I love about this technique is that it can be highly customized, pending the level of maintenance you are looking for, and can also be achieved on brunette and red hair colors in addition to blondes. You can dial up or dial down the amount of highlights to reflect your maintenance comfort level.”

Pidgeon’s Effortless CBK Waves

Much has been said about Pidgeon’s “hairography” in her portrayal of Bessette, and that was not without the help of Moe. “Sarah and I were constantly discussing her hair and how it helped to elevate the storytelling; it was really important to both of us,” the stylist shares. “Although there isn’t a lot of video footage to reference, every photograph of Carolyn is full of emotion and movement. I studied every take on set to make sure it felt natural and motivated, and gave feedback to Sarah in real time to help keep everything consistent and cohesive. Sarah is truly a dream actress when it comes to hair; she knows exactly how to use it to elevate the story.”

Aside from the occasional pony or messy updo, Moe mainly styled Pidgeon’s hair in breezy waves and a simple blowout, the former of which is going viral. Allegedly, CBK would toss her damp hair into a bun on her way to work, only to reveal the waves once she got to her desk. Moe took a similarly heatless approach, having Pidegeon sleep in braids overnight for the easy texture. “I  generously applied Unite 7-Second Leave-In Conditioner from mid-lengths to ends, and sectioned her hair into four quadrants, loosely braiding it off until the next morning,” he explains.

“This technique created a beautiful, soft wave that I further defined with a waving iron and random tapered vertical spirals throughout so that nothing felt too uniform. To create Carolyn’s signature volume and lift at the root, I always did a round-brush blowout in the center-top section, using two large velcro rollers to set the section, while I worked on the texture below. I finished it all with Unite Texturiza Texture Spray to create a voluminous, lived-in vibe and the Blonda Hair Oil to lock in  moisture, reduce frizz, and add shine.” 

The same rollers were also key for her, Mrs. JFK JR. looks. “The later part of the series was all about sleek, smooth styling, and a daily blowout was always in the books.”

FX’s ‘Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’ airs Thursdays on FX and Hulu.