When Ryan Murphy Productions dropped the first teaser images for the upcoming American Love Story, the world…well, had opinions. The new spin-off anthology series tells the story of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s romance, and for many, the images left a lot to be desired.
Specifically, actor Sarah Pidgeon’s transformation into Carolyn, which included almost Gwen Stefani–level blonde hair. And while the internet immediately critiqued Pidgeon’s hair transformation, I wanted to go straight to the source to see how right or wrong it really was: hair colorist Brad Johns, who was known for creating Carolyn’s still-talked-about blonde in the 1990s.
Johns was the colorist of the era. His clients included everyone from Kate Moss and artist Cindy Sherman, to New York City socialites and fashion insiders, including, of course, Bessette. In a 1996 Vogue September issue feature, then beauty editor Amy Astley called Johns “Golden Boy, the Founding Father of Chunking…the Color Czar.” The next year, Johns opened his eponymous salon on Fifth Avenue with eight perpetually-filled chairs. In a three-page spread from Allure’s September 1998 issue, writer Martha Barnette described his signature “chunking” technique, which became popular after he did it on Christy Turlington. It's “basically grabbing handfuls of hair and highlighting them,” Barnette wrote.
Before I reached out, Johns wasn’t even aware that American Love Story was happening and hadn't seen the images. After they popped up in his inbox (courtesy of a few screenshots I sent), his ruling was blunt: “No one would believe that Carolyn in the ’90s would ever have that color from me. It’s too 2024.” After that, we decided to get on the phone and chat more about Bessette’s hair color, their relationship, and more.
First, I ask Johns to describe Bessette’s exact color to me, something he says “we worked really hard to get right.” Bessette’s hair was a natural light brown, but he took her to what he describes as a “toffee” shade. From there, it was all about his signature chunking technique. “I went in and put the highlight chunks in three foils around the front of her face, and then two underneath for when she wore her hair up.”
These under-hair highlights are especially important for moments like Bessette’s wedding day—when she wore her hair up—to give a natural touch.
“My goal was child-of-the-beach color,” he goes on. “Carolyn had beautiful hair. She was breathtaking and so hysterical. When she sees that color, she’s going to be swirling in heaven.”
He calls the hair color in the American Love Story, on the other hand, “Totally wrong, the opposite of what we were going for. If you show that on TV and fashion people see it, they are going to think, why the fuck is she all ashed out with her hair only one color?”
Virginia Smith, Vogue’s Global Head of Fashion Network, was working at Calvin Klein when she first found herself in John’s chair. (And no, Smith and Carolyn didn’t work there at the same time.) “He took me from a bright blonde to one of his signature, buttery blondes,” she reflects. “He always had such strong opinions; he would tell you exactly how it is, even if it was intense. But the thing is, he was always right. At some point, he was doing everybody in fashion’s hair.”
Stylist Kate Young was also a client. Johns salon was one of her first stops after moving to New York City from London (the reason for her move? A job at Vogue, of course). “A cool friend in London who worked for MTV and gave me Brad's number and was like ‘this is where you get your hair done in NYC,’” she recalls. “I had the same hair as CBK, it was stripey yellow ‘butter blonde’ and straight all the way down my back.” Young rocked this very hair look while serving as Anna Wintour's assistant. “There was a giant tropical fish tank,” she adds in a conspiratorial tone. “I heard all the fish died constantly and were being replaced weekly.”
When I tell Johns that I hope for Pidgeon’s sake that she’s wearing a wig, he’s quick and decisive. “Oh, that’s not a wig, unfortunately.”
While Johns retired from hair color at age 60 (he’s now living in Los Angeles and is a glass artist), his protégé Maria Choukairi is still coloring buttery blondes at Mia Wagner Salon in New York City. Which means when it comes to American Love Story, there’s still hope. “I will call Maria and tell her exactly how to get Sarah’s hair just right, just like Carolyn’s,” says Johns.
The offer is on the table—so Ryan and team, let me know if you want me to connect you with Johns. He wants to do this right. For Carolyn.
