What is a classic? By definition, it is something “remarkably and instructively typical” or deemed “a work of art of recognized and established value.” Last night, at Sergio Hudson’s Fall/Winter 2025 show, the beauty embodied both.
Backstage, an unexpected quietude interrupted the noise of New York Fashion Week, while front row guests—like Keke Palmer, Serena Page, and Kysre Gondrezick—set the scene for golden age beauty. “Sergio loves time period hair,” hair stylist and Bold Hold CEO Tamika Gibson tells ESSENCE. Last season, he turned to ‘90s hair defined by low bouffant buns and mod updos. But “this time, we’re in the ‘50s-’60s era.”
Using The Hair Diagram’s Ashley Marie Silkout Serum to tame flyaways and maintain a silky texture, the look channeled old Hollywood glamour through waves and chignons. With some models wearing their natural hair, Bold Hold Lace Gelly is used on the show’s glueless closure wigs, which are seen in both black and blonde.
If Hollywood waves are the definition of classic hair, then the makeup equivalent is certainly obvious. “Sergio was like ‘I love a classic, smoky eye,’ and I’m like ‘we will give you a classic, smoky eye,’” recalls makeup artist Mark Reagan, using Bobbi Brown’s Longwear Cream Eyeshadow Stick to up the look’s price tag.
As to not distract from the eye, a warm mocha-shaded blush gave a muted, sculpted finish while a pale, silent lip. According to Gibson, “it looks fabulous, it looks glam, it looks chic, because that’s what Sergio Hudson is.”
