A friend recently told me that she knew a woman who had moved to New York and walked in Central Park every day in the hope of running into him. Sarah Jessica Parker was lucky enough to smooch him and later revealed that his hair felt like she was “running her fingers through a paintbrush.”

In the 1990s, John F. Kennedy Jr. was every woman’s dream and the closest thing America had to a royal ruler. The press and public were obsessed with him – and his love life.

Now there is a great new book about the amazing woman who married him. Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy by Elizabeth Beller paints a vivid picture of CBK, from her many highs – she was a blue-collar worker who rose from Boston sales clerk to Calvin Klein’s PR director – to her lows, most notably how her famous marriage turned her life into a circus. She died tragically at just 33 years old when a small plane flown by her husband crashed near Martha’s Vineyard in 1999, killing both her and her sister Lauren.

Her friends say that if CBK were alive today, she, who would be 58 today, would laugh at being celebrated as a fashion icon. But that’s exactly what she has become: a fashion icon and the subject of a wave of social media accounts followed by a generation too young to remember the ’90s. Beller, who spoke to her closest confidants, uncovered some tantalizing details that were new even to me, a longtime researcher of the JFK-CBK story.

1 When they started dating, JFK Jr. presented a letter from a friend accusing Carolyn of taking drugs and partying excessively. He threw the letter at her and left the restaurant. She didn’t speak to him for a year, despite his stalking her, and even changed her phone number.

2 JFK Jr. never let her meet his mother, Jackie (who died in 1994), which led to many arguments. Carolyn lost weight, dressed more like a Kennedy should look, and always wondered if Jackie would approve.

3 After her marriage, Carolyn quit her job, but she hated not working. Shortly before her death, she talked about studying psychology or trying to make documentaries.

4 The media raved about him, but demonized CBK as moody and demanding. Her mother was not happy about the relationship and warned her daughter that the whole thing was too much drama.

5 The couple had problems before her death – he was constantly working and she felt isolated. But they worked to resolve these issues.

@thestylistandthewardrobe

@Siemagazin

INTELLIGENT THINKING

Shorts are suitable for all ages, especially when they are in a stylish Bermuda style. Combine them with a shirt and high heels for an instant wow effect.

BLING IT ON

Organically shaped Elsa Peretti-style pendants like this gold one from Cos are back in style. Wear them peeking out from under a blazer or casually over a dress.

SIGHTED

Fabulous couple: Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, right) with Aspinal’s London Tote in the trailer for the fourth season of the Netflix series Emily in Pariswhich starts this month.

Joanne’s column will appear again on September 1st