Where Is Narciso Rodriguez Now? Inside His Life After Designing Carolyn Bessette's Wedding Dress
Where Is Narciso Rodriguez Now? Inside His Life After Designing Carolyn Bessette's Wedding Dress
Jordana ComiterSat, March 7, 2026 at 12:15 PM UTC
0
Narciso Rodriguez circa 1999 in New York ; Narciso Rodriguez attends the Maestro Cares Third Annual Gala Dinner on March 8, 2018, in New York City.Credit: Raoul/Images/Getty ; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty -
Narciso Rodriguez began his fashion career in the 1980s before transitioning to a role at Calvin Klein
After famously designing Carolyn Bessette's wedding dress, he created his own eponymous label
The designer is now married with children
Few people in this world can say they've had the honor of designing the bride's gown for a "Kennedy Wedding" — but Narciso Rodriguez is among that exclusive group.
The designer, who graduated from Parsons School of Design, famously made Carolyn Bessette's silk slip dress for her 1996 wedding to political heir John F. Kennedy Jr. Now, the moment is being portrayed in Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, in which Tonatiuh plays Rodriguez.
During a March 2026 conversation with The Cut, Rodriguez opened up about how his life changed after gaining recognition for designing the famous dress.
"It was very different," he said. "I love my work and the craft, and I’ve always been very focused on sketching and doing the work. The fabulous designer image in the press is not, and wasn’t, my goal or my dream."
Rodriguez went on to speak about the "invasive" attention it brought, saying, "I’m happy to be backstage, making the clothes. All of a sudden, I was very front of stage. It was hard to navigate."
So, where is Narciso Rodriguez now? Here's everything to know about his life after designing Carolyn Bessette's wedding dress.
His fashion career began in the 1980s
Narciso Rodriguez attends the Mr. Chow 30th-anniversary party on April 4, 1998, in New York City.Credit: Steve Eichner/Penske Media via Getty
According to The New York Times, Rodriguez got his start in fashion in the 1980s, when he worked on Seventh Avenue as Donna Karan's assistant at Anne Klein. He later transitioned to a job at Calvin Klein, which is also where he met Bessette, whose job at the time was to look after V.I.P. clients.
During a February 2026 conversation with Vogue, Rodriguez shared that after they met while working at Calvin Klein, he soon moved into her apartment building.
"Those were really great memorable years," he said.
Rodriguez gained recognition after designing Bessette’s wedding dress in 1996
Lee Radziwill, Carolyn Bessette and Narciso Rodriguez attend the 'George' magazine second anniversary party on Nov. 6, 1997, in New York.Credit: Steve Eichner/Penske Media via Getty
Rodriguez gained prominence in the industry after designing his friend's wedding dress for her ultra-private wedding to JFK Jr. According to The New York Times, Rodriguez went to Cerutti in Paris to make her dress in secret.
During his conversation with Vogue, he reflected on the moment his friend asked him to design her wedding dress.
"I remember going to Odeon and having cosmos with her at the bar and her telling me that John had proposed and would I make her dress?" he recalled. "It was such an exciting moment in all of our lives."
Rodriguez added, "It was the love of my life marrying the love of her life, and so it was a very heartfelt, emotional time."
Speaking of the honor with Vogue eight years earlier, he called it a "great moment" in his career, as well as a "beautiful moment" in his personal life.
He launched his own label in 1997
Narciso Rodriguez attends Fashion Week Spring 2010 on Sept. 16, 2009, in New York City.Credit: Michael Buckner/Getty
In 1997, Rodriguez launched his eponymous label in Milan, per his website. That same year, he was appointed Design Director of Loewe's women's ready-to-wear collection, a role he held until 2001, when he moved his label — which now also includes fragrances — to New York.
Advertisement
Bessette isn't the only high-profile woman he has dressed: Michelle Obama wore his work to numerous events, including when she made her final speech as First Lady in January 2017, per Vogue.
Rodriguez's work has been recognized with several awards, including the Lifetime Achievement honor at the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards in June 2018.
After being honored by the Couture Council at the Museum of FIT that September, Rodriguez told PEOPLE that it "means so much" to him.
"It’s a great moment of peace and clarity. I feel all the love," he continued.
Rodriguez married his husband in 2013
Narciso Rodriguez and husband Thomas Tolan attend Glamour's 25th Anniversary Women Of The Year Awards on Nov. 9, 2015, in New York City.Credit: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic
While Rodriguez is known for designing Bessette's wedding dress, he tied the knot himself in June 2013, when he married Thomas Tolan, per Vogue.
He had been private about his long-term relationship with Tolan at that point, but told The New York Times two years earlier that they often "cook together, open a bottle of red wine, and if it’s nice, we’ll sit on the terrace and watch the sunset."
According to Tolan's LinkedIn, he works as an advertising and marketing executive.
Where is Narciso Rodriguez now?
Narciso Rodriguez attends the 2018 Maestro Cares Gala on March 8, 2018, in New York City.Credit: Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage
The designer shuttered his label amid the COVID-19 pandemic, though he continued to design for private clients and run his fragrance business with Shiseido, per Elle.
According to the outlet, he underwent a "personal reinvention" during that time, focusing on creating more balance between his career and personal life, including raising his twins.
He has since returned to the industry with a new approach: "I didn’t want to fall into the same trap of department stores and deadlines and shows," he told the outlet in March 2025.
Despite having received "interesting proposals," Rodriguez said he "couldn’t imagine being on a plane, putting on shows in Europe, and missing out on one day of my kids’ life.”
The brand is still around today, continuing to grow with the popularity of its fragrance collections.
In March 2026, following the release of Love Story's sixth episode, "The Wedding," Rodriguez reflected on the early days of his career while speaking with The Cut.
"We worked around the clock and the fashion shows were exhausting and all that stuff," he said of working at Calvin Klein. "Now I’m like, Wow, that was incredible. What an incredible experience in my lifetime."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
