Sarah Pidgeon's Prada Fashion Show Outfit Pays Homage to Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's "Everyday" Bag

The purses were close cousins, at least.

Sarah Pidgeon attended the Prada Fall 2026 show in a black bag inspired by Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
(Image credit: Getty Images)

You know you've made it in the fashion industry when you score a front-row seat to watch Bella Hadid make her Prada runway debut, and Sarah Pidgeon was one of today's lucky winners. Before the Fall 2026 fashion show began, the Love Story actor's nostalgic bag proved she's as much a Prada girl as Hadid. All the while, it looked straight out of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's closet.

On February 26, the third day of Milan Fashion Week, all eyes went to Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons' Fall 2026 runway. It doubled as an It girl convention, with Hadid on the runway, plus Anna Sawai, Caitlin Clark, and Pidgeon on the guest list. It seems Episode 5 of the Bessette-Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. biopic series—which drops hours later—influenced her minimalist front row 'fit. A sleeveless brown vest-turned-top set Pidgeon's initial '90s tone, followed by a butter yellow fringe midi skirt. But her Bessette-Kennedy-inspired bag was the real star of her look.

Sarah Pidgeon attended the Prada Fall 2026 show in a black bag inspired by Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

Sarah Pidgeon attended the Prada Fall 2026 show with a CBK-coded bag in tow.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Pidgeon accessorized with black, pointed toe pumps from the Spring 2026 collection, plus a sleek coordinating shoulder bag. A monochrome belt decorated its east-west closure, in a wink at last summer's belt bag trend. Still, it wasn't too trendy that it disrupted her streak of outfits inspired by Bessette-Kennedy. In fact, the Calvin Klein sales associate was a proud Prada shopper back in the day, too.

Black Prada bags were to Bessette-Kennedy as Hermès Birkins are to Jennifer Lopez now. (CBK also owned a Hermès Birkin 40, though.) Bessette-Kennedy was practically synonymous with the 1995 Prada Spazzolato: a black, tote-style shoulder bag, crafted from glossy patent leather.

"This Prada bag was her everyday bag for a year," JFK Jr.'s assistant RoseMarie Terenzio told the New York Post in 2012. Its black sheen complemented any neutral in her closet, ranging from khaki midi skirts and chestnut knee-highs, to a gray midi dress and black suede boots. Pidgeon's Prada bag wasn't identical to her on-screen character's, but its sharp edges, shiny exterior, and triangle emblem make it a close cousin.

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy wore patent leather black Prada bags on repeat in the '90s

Bessette-Kennedy adored a similarly-shaped Prada bag in 1996.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Carolyn Bessette-kennedy loved Prada patent leather bags in the 90s

She couldn't stop styling the patent Prada tote.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

This is the best part about fashion-forward TV shows: The press tour doesn't stop once the pilot episode starts streaming. Love Story still has four episodes yet to release, meaning Pidgeon's Bessette-Kennedy era is far from over. Perhaps she'll also attend the Miu Miu show on March 10 at Paris Fashion Week. Fun fact: The ribbed dress during Bessette-Kennedy's bike walk with JFK Jr.—the one inches away from her Prada bag—boasted Miu Miu Fall 1996 tags.

Shop Styles Inspired by Sarah Pidgeon

Meguire Hennes
Staff Writer, Fashion

Meguire Hennes is the fashion staff writer at Marie Claire, where she breaks down the celebrity looks living rent-free in her head (and yours). Whether a star is walking the red carpet or posing on Instagram, Meguire will tell you who they're wearing and why. When she's not gushing about A-listers from J.Law to Rihanna, Meguire also covers breaking industry news.

Previously, Meguire was the fashion news writer at The Zoe Report. She received a bachelor's degree in fashion studies at Montclair State University, and has freelanced at Bustle, Women's Health, Well+Good, and more. You can find her words across the fashion, beauty, health, and wellness verticals, because her Libra moon wouldn't let her settle on one beat. Follow her on Instagram for BTS moments from her Marie Claire era.