A Conversation in the Fashion Closet with Sarah Pidgeon and Vogue100

Sarah PidgeonPhoto: Rodolfo Sanches Carvalho

In the midst of the recent New York heatwave, Vogue100 had the pleasure of welcoming Sarah Pidgeon to talk about all things fashion, her recent Balenciaga campaign directed by Celine Song, and her breakout role as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in Ryan Murphy’s Love Story.

Guests were welcomed into Vogue’s fabled fashion closet, which was bathed in June’s generous sunlight and perfumed by Raul Avila’s aromatic florals. An intimate affair, the morning began with tuna caviar bites and delectable breakfast pastries before guests settled into their seats for the actress’s conversation with Naomi Elizée, Vogue’s fashion market director.

With the closet’s famed designer shoe wall and the city skyline as their backdrop, Elizée and Pidgeon explored the costuming choices behind her portrayal of Bessette Kennedy. The late tastemaker’s loyalty to Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto was an important detail to note. “I make clothing like armor. Clothing protects you,” Yamamoto once said, a sentiment that Pidgeon carried with her while preparing for the role. Yamamoto’s pieces made her feel ethereal, strong, and truly like the modern woman.

Upon researching the former publicist’s time at Calvin Klein, Pidgeon noted that “Carolyn had a chair that they called ‘cashmere mountain’ because it was overflowing with a pile of cashmere sweaters…she was the kind of woman who was messy but knew exactly where everything was,” she praised.

Naomi Elizée, Sarah Pidgeon

Reflecting on the show’s global success, Pidgeon shared that it’s exciting that “a whole new generation has learned about Carolyn.”

To conclude the conversation, the audience cheekily asked Pidgeon about the most New York-inspired thing she’d done that week, alluding to her recent Balenciaga campaign with Celine Song, titled A New York Minute. Without hesitation, her answer was simple: “Watching the Knicks!” She added, “It’s cool to be a part of something and for the city to band together… I like feeling proud of this amazing city.”