There are few beauty signatures as enduring as the understated blonde of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, the ultimate poster girl for minimalistic elegance and ‘90s NYC style. Her refined yet undone blonde looks are currently seeing a resurgence in popularity on TikTok (thanks in large part to Love Story – now streaming), and continues to resonate as a benchmark for modern luxury hair.

Here, Bixie Colour’s Sheree Knobel revisits that legacy blonde through a contemporary lens, reworking the CBK Blonde for today while staying true to its original spirit. 

Your inside look into Sheree’s thinking, technique and inspiration behind the look.

TJ: Chat us through the CBK Blonde you’ve created.
SK: Everything about CBK was intentional and curated – nothing about her style was thrown together – and that’s the concept I used behind creating a modern version of her blonde: bright and blended, but expensive-looking. 

I wanted to see hand-painted ribbons of colour, but not stripes. I wanted movement in the hair so you could run your hands through it and see the tones melt together seamlessly. Expensive-looking but bright. Everything had to melt together effortlessly.

TJ: What defines it or differentiates it from any other blonde?
SK: It’s brighter but blended. There are no dark root shadows – it’s really about celebrating the warmer tones that come through and enhancing them for that effortless feel. With Danthe (my client), we kept it creamy, but for true CBK vibes, I’d add even more warmth into your overall gloss to engage those buttery, warm tones.

TJ: What is the process and formula/s behind recreating the CBK Blonde?
SK: First, we needed a big blonde-up. I wanted the whole colour to look bright and bold, but not stripy – think old-money vibes. 

My foils around the face were medium weaves and quite tight. Then, through the rest of the hair, I used a combination of medium teasy foils to create blend. We also popped in some meds to give a balayaged effect.

My client, Danthe, is quite blonde naturally, but if your client has a deeper base, I’d recommend doing a base breaker to bring it all together and create harmony between the foils and natural hair. That’s what gives that buttery blonde effect.

TJ: What inspired you to tackle this iconic blonde?
SK: Caroline Bessette has always been an icon and someone whose style still inspires others today. The new Love Story series on Netflix had me obsessed and led me down rabbit holes on TikTok researching her style and her hair. It’s timeless and a nice shift for current blondes that have been natural for a while and feel like a change.

Follow @shereeknobel_bixiecolour