Jenny Syquia recalls friendship with Carolyn Bessette
Former Filipino American Swedish actress Jenny Syquia reflected on her friendship with the late Carolyn Bessette, a fashion publicist and wife of John F. Kennedy Jr. following the fresh interest in the biographical series Love Story.
On Instagram, the former model shared that she first met Besette at Boston University in 1988, where they were both part of the Girls of BU calendar.
She recalled how the feature "helped [her] social life" by granting her "all the freedoms and none of the responsibilities," filling her calendar with parties and high-profile gatherings.
Syquia said she first met Bessette at the Venus/Commonwealth Grill event, describing her as "unforgettable" and popular.
"People always talk about how beautiful she was—and yes, she truly was—but what cameras could never quite capture was her presence," she said.
"When Carolyn walked into a room, it was like the sun walked in with her. Yet she never made anyone feel small. The moment she saw you, she would come up and start talking to you as if you were the only person in the room. That was her magic," she revealed.
The two crossed paths again after moving to New York in the 90s—Syquia was working as a fashion assistant for Vogue, while Bessette was hired at Calvin Klein.
"We were both at Kelly Klein's book launch party for her book Pools—which was fun to see recreated in the TV series. I wasn't there as a guest though; I was working. Kelly was short-staffed so Anna Wintour asked if any of the fashion assistants wanted to help work the party. I happily agreed for overtime pay: $3.85 an hour x time-and-a-half," she shared.
At that party, Syquia said, "one of the most beautiful men" walked up to her and started chatting with her.
"He asked who I knew there. I told him Carolyn and that we had gone to college together and that I worked at Vogue. I asked what he did. 'I'm an actor,'" she recalled him saying.
"After speaking for a while he asked me for my phone number so we could go out. I told him I didn't give out my number. Which is very funny. because in the new series that's exactly what Carolyn says when JFK Jr. asked for hers. Maybe The Rules originated from B.U. girls?" Syquia said.
Syquia then continued that the guy handed her a piece of paper with a phone number and name on it.
"Jared Leto," she said. "I never called him. (Stupid me.) I wonder if he remembers that. (I'm sure he doesn't.) But I definitely do!"
"Soon after Carolyn married JFK Jr. and the world was talking about them, I was living i the Philippines and writing a newspaper column and I wrote about more of my memorable interactions with her. The premise was, if anyone could get the world's most eligible bachelor, it was her," Syquia said.
"I need to dig that article out. That might make another fun story remembering an iconic woman and an iconic time in history," she ended her note.
Syquia comes from the prominent Syquia family in Vigan. Apart from her time at Vogue USA, she dabbled in modeling and acting. She married actor Gabby Concepcion in 1993 and got annulled three years later. They share a daughter named Cloie Syquia Skarne.
Meanwhile, Bessette worked for Calvin Klein until she got married to attorney and publisher John F. Kennedy Jr., son of the former US president John F. Kennedy, in 1996. The couple became a fixture of intense tabloid scrutiny.
In 1999, Kennedy, Bessette, and Bessette's older sister, Lauren, died in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.
The couple's love story is retold in the FX series Love Story.
