Sarah Pidgeon explains key to portraying Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

Sarah Pidgeon used Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's signature style to emulate her in FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.

Pidgeon understood the weight of stepping into Carolyn’s shoes for the shoes, especially after recieving backlash over the show’s test shots.

"She was a private citizen until she got into this relationship with John [and was thrust into] the center of the public eye. So I think her clothing, it really helped inform the character," she told People.

"My favorite pieces were the [Yohji] Yamamoto pieces she wore," the Tony winner continued. "And I'm not sure if she was aware of this, but Yamamoto describes designing clothing as armor for women."

"I think 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," she continued. "It makes you stand in a different way, and it sort of holds you in and protects you."

Those pieces "felt very transformative," Pidgeon said

"Especially from her messier, more wild mid-twenties, where we start the series. She was a 26-year-old in New York, smoking cigs, walking down Fifth Avenue," she added.

Regarding the criticism over her not resembling the Calvin Klien publicist, she said, "I don't think it changed how I approached the role. It didn't change my impression of who Carolyn was. It reminded me of the weight of this responsibility and wanting to do these people justice. It reinforced and reminded me of just how beloved these people are, and people are protective of their story."