Written by Oscar Holland, CNN
Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfits of the past seven days.
Pamela Anderson made her name in red. In fact, the swimsuits she and her “Baywatch” co-stars wore in the 1990s are so iconic that Pantone has since officially named the tone “Baywatch Red.”
So there was perhaps no better color the 55-year-old star could have worn to the premiere of Netflix’s new documentary about her life, “Pamela, a Love Story.”
Channeling her breakout character CJ Parker, Anderson arrived at the streaming giant’s Tudum Theater in Los Angeles wearing a plunging neckline dress by Indian American designer Naeem Khan. The figure-hugging dress may not have been the exactly shade that Pantone immortalized to celebrate the series’ 30th anniversary in 2019, but it nevertheless conjured up images of Parker patrolling LA’s sunny beaches — often in slow motion — in a one-piece swimsuit during her five seasons on the show.
Pamela Anderson wore her signature color to the premiere of Netflix’s “Pamela, a love story.” Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Social media users seemed to appreciate the backlash. Responding to Khan’s eponymous label’s Instagram post, Victoria’s Secret model Tika Camaj described Anderson’s premiere look as an “iconic moment.”
Meanwhile, Anderson’s stylist, Rebecca Ramsey, wrote on Instagram after the premiere: “She invented red.”
Part of Khan’s Resort 2023 collection, the beaded dress retails for just under $6,000 — making it more expensive than the original “Baywatch” swimsuit that retailed (along with a cuff and a signed photo) for $4,920 on ‘ was sold at a California auction in 2014.
Anderson completed the look with drop earrings and a pair of red satin sandals designed by someone with a similarly strong claim to the color red: Christian Louboutin.
Anderson made her name as lifeguard and volleyball coach CJ Parker on the 1990s hit show “Baywatch.” Credit: IMDB
The actor was joined at Monday’s event by her sons Dylan and Brandon Lee, the latter of whom made the Netflix documentary together. Speaking to Access Hollywood on the pink carpet, Anderson said her children have kept her informed about her continued status as a style icon, decades after she emerged as the archetypal blonde bombshell.
“(My sons) would say, ‘People like the whole ’90s look, and people (wear red swimsuits as) Halloween costumes,'” Anderson said. “And I’d be like, ‘No, it’s crazy! It’s fun, it’s really fun, it’s flattering. It feels full circle. We just had a good time then. It was never a curated experience. ”
Now streaming on Netflix, “Pamela, a Love Story” charts Anderson’s struggle with her pervasive sex symbol status, as well as her tumultuous relationship with Tommy Lee and their infamous stolen sex tape. The documentary, released alongside a new memoir, sees Anderson, as she puts it, attempt to “take control of the narrative for the first time.”
