Because of FX’s Love Story: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, there’s been a huge boom of interest in (you guessed it) John and Carolyn. So many TikToks, so many videos analyzing Carolyn’s style, her vibe, her hair, her makeup, her everything. Several people who actually knew John and Carolyn have come out to talk about what it was like back in the day, working for Calvin Klein or working for John’s magazine George. This piece is really fun though – Carolyn’s old hair stylist Brad Johns told Page Six that Carolyn panicked just before her 1996 wedding, and she begged him to dye her hair black.

Carolyn Bessette Kennedy had an iconic look, but she almost changed it up before the most important day of her life. The late fashion publicist rose through the ranks at Calvin Klein thanks to her perennially chic, minimalist wardrobe and striking beauty.

It was Brad Johns who was responsible for the “chunk” highlights CBK made famous, a technique that he invented to take her from light brown to iconic, buttery blond. But Johns tells Page Six Style exclusively that, days before her secret September 1996 wedding to John F. Kennedy Jr., the publicist was contemplating a major transformation.

“She came in a nervous wreck and she said, ‘I have something very special coming up. Dye my hair black,’” Johns recalls. “I said, ‘Absolutely not.’”

Not only was Johns set on keeping his client and friend looking fresh, but he also told us he would “never” dye her hair dramatically darker, and would advise anyone considering a major hair change to try a wig instead.

“Women, when they’re in a panic, they want something different,” says Johns, whose memoir, “Dye,” chronicles his legendary career.

While Johns had no idea that CBK would wed JFK Jr. in an intimate Georgia ceremony mere days after sitting in his chair, he said he knew she had “something special” planned. Instead of taking her dark, he added even lighter blond pieces to frame her face.

“I said to her, ‘Thank God I left that those pieces in the front because you look like a princess,’” Johns recalls.

[From Page Six]

Because Carolyn-and-John obsessives bullied Ryan Murphy last year, one of the things the Love Story series shows is Carolyn’s hair journey. In the early ‘90s, her hair was more natural, a darker dirty blonde, wavy, low-maintence in general. You can see that begin to change as she becomes more involved with John – her hair is less wavy and she’s going to get progressively blonder too. But it feels on-brand that she panicked before the wedding and wanted to make a drastic change. I’m glad Brad Johns told her no and began layering in more lighter blonde streaks.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jack Massee McKinley (@mckinleypeerage)

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Instagram.