There's No Such Thing as Coincidence

An oft-quoted theory that nothing happens without some intervention (divine or otherwise) occurred this morning. The New York Times' Style Section featured a story about an auction of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's clothing above a piece about a luxurious, little-known brand that will soon be better known, Sasuphi. It features prominently in the forthcoming sequel to "The Devil Wears Prada".

 New York Times 3/5/26

The clothing auction was not exactly a surprise. Much has been made of late about Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's understated uber-'90s style, and I'd read that a friend (and author of a book about her) had been lent, then given, some clothes by the generous Carolyn. Carolyn's style evolved as an employee of Calvin Klein. The spare, unadorned look she favored was also a '90s look (ie Armani, Prada, Yamamoto). Reams have been written about how she (tall, blonde, willowy, otherwise unadorned) could pull that off so beautifully.  It doesn't mean the rest of us didn't try.

Not very long ago we encountered "Understated Luxury". This is best described as "stuff you pay a fortune for that you could also find at Walmart", Take for instance a hoodie. We've been told that is now passe because, well, you could find it at Walmart (though not in cashmere). "Understated Luxury" doesn't have the mystery of '90s minimalism. 

By women for women

Even more recently we heard maximalism was due for a comeback. That, however, has failed to materialize, and there are a few reasons. We are all watching our pennies (or dollars) we spend on unnecessary purchases. I for one am seriously stopped by the question, Do I really need this? More often these days the answer is a hard "no". Need or want aside, clothing prices continue to skyrocket. At the lower end of things, fabric quality and workmanship can be concerning, while those high price tags make one wonder, Why? Next, I think we're all getting tired of Fashion as some fantasy cosplay. We want real clothes that we can wear, for real.

Along comes the spirit of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy to show us less really can be more and a brand that, while out of the price range for most of us, champions real clothes for real women. The fact that those two pieces were teamed up on one page could not just be a coincidence now, could it?