On an early spring evening in 1999, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy accompanied her husband, John F Kennedy Jr, to an annual fundraising gala for the Whitney Museum of American Art. While other famous attendees opted for floor-length gowns, showy fur coats, sequins and pearls, Carolyn kept it simple in a white men’s shirt from Yohji Yamamoto Homme, twisted and tucked into a black Yohji Yamamoto midi-skirt, blonde hair brushed back behind her ears. It’s an enduring look that is now burnt onto our collective cultural memory thanks to endlessly circulated photos of that night.
Love Story didn’t catapult Carolyn Bessette onto everyone’s mood-boards – she was beloved by fashion girls long before the show arrived on screen, including at the time – but it has definitely pushed some of her most famous garments to the fore (according to The Strategist, Selima Optique – which makes the Aldo sunglasses she often wore – saw a 1,314 per cent increase in sales of that style in the two weeks after the show debuted). One such item that has become a must-have for the style set? The plain white button-down, crisp and slightly fitted.
Obviously, white shirts never go out of style. But a move towards “less is more” dressing means that the perfect white button-down is more in demand than ever; especially worn in casual or slightly nonchalant ways (a must for any disciple of ’90s minimalism). As Alice Cary wrote earlier this year for British Vogue: “There’s been a continued appetite for undone styling – relaxed collars, off-kilter fastenings and shirts worn slightly askew, as seen on the spring/summer 2026 runways of Celine, Issey Miyake, Stella McCartney” (as well as at Talia Byre and Givenchy).
Vogue’s shopping editor Joy Montgomery suggests doing it like CBK and opting for a men’s shirt. While her exact Yohji Yamamoto Homme shirt is hard to come by (I’ve tried), there are plenty of similar fits available on resale sites and in vintage shops. “There’s just something about a proper men’s tailored style, with its stiff collar and crisp lines, that trumps all the other options,” Joy says. “I would recommend checking out the men’s section of charity shops, which are always full of classic iterations.”
Indeed, if you invest in only one “everything” item for summer, you could do much worse than one of CBK’s most fabled go-tos. Whether you’re lounging at a beach bar with a white shirt slipped on over your bikini, or wearing it with a formal skirt to attend a gala in the city, this wardrobe staple can do it all.
