Sarah Pidgeon, currently starring as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in FX’s Love Story, made a striking appearance at the Actor Awards on Sunday, choosing a blush pink strapless gown from the Balenciaga Spring 2026 collection. The dress marked Pierpaolo Piccioli’s runway debut as the fashion house’s Creative Director.
The gown, first showcased on the runway, features a design focused on volume and silhouette, echoing the aesthetic of Balenciaga’s founder, Cristóbal Balenciaga. “I wanted to create volume as well, shape, silhouette as Cristóbal did,” Piccioli stated regarding his debut collection, according to reports of the runway show.
Pidgeon complemented the dress with Rahaminov jewelry, including platinum studs adorned with round diamonds and a diamond ring. Her hair was styled in a loose ponytail, completing the elegant look. The choice of attire comes as Pidgeon embodies the style icon Bessette-Kennedy in the highly anticipated series.
Pidgeon has spoken about the influence of Bessette-Kennedy’s wardrobe on her portrayal of the character. She specifically highlighted the impact of pieces by Yohji Yamamoto, noting that Yamamoto himself described his designs as “armor for women.” Pidgeon connected this concept to Bessette-Kennedy’s relationship with the press, suggesting the clothing served as a form of protection given her fiercely private nature. “I suppose understanding — or at least my interpretation of her relation to the press — she was fiercely private, so I think it made so much sense, and you could feel it when you put the clothes on. It makes you stand in a different way, and it sort of holds you in and protects you,” Pidgeon said.
Fashion commentator Lauren Santo Domingo, writing in the February issue of Town &. Country, offered insight into the enduring appeal of Bessette-Kennedy’s style. Santo Domingo argued that the focus on Bessette-Kennedy’s minimalism often overlooks the practical aspect of her fashion choices. “CBK style was never about the item, it was about the attitude,” Santo Domingo wrote. “People tend to romanticize her restraint as if it were some grand, conceptual act of minimalism,” she explained. “But I believe the truth is much simpler: She was a young woman working in fashion, carefully buying designer pieces on a fashion-girl budget. She wasn’t curating an aesthetic manifesto, she was doing what the rest of us were doing—albeit a whole lot better than everyone else.”
Prior to the Actor Awards appearance, Pidgeon has consistently demonstrated a style sensibility reminiscent of Bessette-Kennedy, as noted by fashion publications. Vogue recently highlighted eleven understated looks showcasing Pidgeon’s affinity for the polished, unfussy dressing that defined CBK’s style. Her choices, including tailored pieces and monochrome ensembles, have drawn comparisons to the former First Daughter’s iconic aesthetic.
