Review of Sergio Hudson Spring 2023 Fashion Show
Vibrant Color, Sexy Silhouettes Recall the ‘Supes’ Era
By Constance C.R. White
Pamela Anderson’s documentary on Netflix is a surprise hit. Primarily because we had low expectations about what a sexpot could possibly tell us. But Pamela: A Love Story proves that women with big hair and a talent for sexploitation are neither necessarily dumb nor one-dimensional. Anderson was on my mind at Sergio Hudson’s rich, sunny, show. Hudson continued his own love story with women and their right to look both powerful and sexy at the same time.
And we’re all the better for it.
Pamela Anderson Now and Then, Would Love Sergio Hudson
There were big belts cinched around small waists, big hair and pert lips. Please don’t call it Barbiecore. It was so much more than that. In an unexpected twist, Hudson married the work of artist Jason Naylor, who specializes in cartoon-bright colors, with his vivacious luxury. If you want technicolor and an empowered interpretation of traditional feminine iconography, Hudson’s your man.
His glamazon models might as well have been wearing superwoman capes as they glided along in open-toe, sky-high patent platform shoes. What adds to the power surge is impeccable tailoring and sumptuous fabrics, which deliver on the brand’s luxe premise. But nothing is too precious.
“I just wanted to have fun,” said Hudson after the show, citing denim looks such as a terrific belted jacket with matching pants as heartbeats of the collection. “I wanted to explore denim in a new luxury way,” he said.
The collection’s jacket is a crop, the length of a waiter’s jacket, which hugs the body and sculpts the shoulders. A blue and black version boasted front zippers. Another, a melange boucle in minty colors, had a matching skirt.
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A flirt-skirt dress with a corseted bodice and pleated skirt came in both thigh-high and conservative lengths. The romp recalled Gianni Versace and Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel when supes like Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista ruled the runway. Even a Tyra-lookalike appeared serving a hip-swivel and toss of her reddish blond hair – just like Tyra used to do.
Hudson went mad with gold zips in a fantastic jet black, tough-girl look that is sure to be known as the Zipper dress, and then did an about face going soft and easy with an airy souffle of a coat in lemon and pink. Kimora Lee’s daughter Aoki Lee Simmons walked the show in mauve and black.
Hudson’s celebrity front row is different and says something about the clothes he designs and the business he’s building. Seated next to company CFO Inga Beckham, dressed in a purple signature pantsuit, was Lee, Nineties-era model and groundbreaking business woman, ABC’s Sunny Hostin and MSNBC’s Joy Reid. And scattered elsewhere were Today Show’s Sheinelle Jones, writer and producer Keli Goff, television personality Bevy Smith and designer Byron Lars.
As Hudson builds his business, it was interesting to see sitting across from each other were Bergdorf Goodman’s Linda Fargo and Hudson’s Bay’s Tyler Franch, vice president and fashion director (Saks Fifth Avenue, Hudson’s Bay) which carry the collection.
Hudson is developing his evening wear, and Franch after taking several photos of the daytime looks, whipped out his phone to grab a quick shot of a gorgeous beaded yellow gown with cutouts. A few more followed, closing with a stunning white cut-out dress. It made one wonder what Hudson could do in evening wear with more resources.
But it’s never a bad thing to leave them wanting more.