In a Dazed exclusive, we caught up with the iconic actress post-show for some quickfire questions and an impromptu hotel room shoot
When the Institut du Monde Arabe was plunged into darkness and Valentino’s latest show was about to begin, a single, familiar voice cut through the silence. “On February 1, 1941, in a dark age, when the fury of war sweeps across the land and the anti-aircraft units tear the silence up the skies, a young student of the Faculty of Humanities in Bologna sends a letter to a childhood friend,” the voice began. “He writes: ‘the night I told you about, we saw an immense amount of fireflies, they made little woods of fire inside little woods of bushes, and we envied them because they loved each other.” By this point, guests of Alessandro Michele were beginning to realise that the voice belonged to Pamela Anderson, who, as it happened, was sitting front row.
Anderson’s disembodied narration eventually revealed that the young student was Pier Paolo Pasolini, and that the fireflies he described “represent, in his eyes, the ability to resist the darkest night.” This became the central theme of Michele’s SS26 collection, Fireflies: fashion as a means to “illuminate what loves to hide,” to radiate goodness through “glows of enchantment,” and to let clothing “nourish imagination with political force.” Though it may seem like a tall order for a runway show, Michele’s collection sought hope in the dark, and positioned fashion as a tool for constructing identities that lead to personal fulfilment.
As the final few looks circle the show space – under a whirling light show that mimicked the glow of fireflies – Anderson’s voice returned. “We need to disarm the eyes and reawaken the gaze. It’s the only way to understand that the gloom of our present is actually touched by light swarms of fireflies,” she concluded, ending proceedings on a positive note, before Michele entered the space to take his final bow.
Following her narration of the show, we caught up with Anderson about her collaboration with Michele, chopping her platinum locks, and Tom Ford’s sagest piece of advice.
Hi Pamela – first of all, we’re dying to know how this collaboration with Alessandro and Valentino came about.
Pamela Anderson: Alessandro called me – he wanted my voice in the show. It was so interesting. I was honoured. We also share a love of Pier Paolo Pasolini.
How do you think the show responds to the time in which we find ourselves?
Pamela Anderson: We must find joy. We have to permeate this new world with a mother’s instinct and love. We are our thoughts. I believe in communities of energy and art is the final frontier – blood sweat and tears.
How do you remain optimistic when faced with ‘the gloom of our present’ as the show referred to it?
Pamela Anderson: We pray, meditate and remain grateful. Stay true to ourselves and live in a playful and meaningful manner.
What do you love about Alessandro and his work?
Pamela Anderson: He is a genius. He feels very loyal to himself and others.
I asked Tom Ford which designer I should wear. He told me, ‘always Valentino’ – Pamela Anderson
Which pieces or looks are you planning to swipe from the collection?
Pamela Anderson: So many beautiful blouses…
Do you have an earliest Valentino memory?
Pamela Anderson: I have always loved classic Valentino red. It’s etched in my mind, thinking, ‘how could I ever be so elegant?’
When Tom Ford was guest editor for Vanity Fair, we did a photoshoot and I asked him which designer I should wear. He told me, ‘always Valentino’, and that I should never leave the house without a corset – that I had no organs. He was pulling a corset on me at the time and my waist got so tiny. The corset was Mr Pearl, a vintage Mugler piece.
Your long, platinum hair has been such a recognisable part of your look for decades – why now for this big change?
Pamela Anderson: It’s for a film, Love is Not the Answer by Michael Cera. I’m experimenting… I took the character out for a walk.
Apart from fashion week, what’s your favourite thing to do in Paris?
Pamela Anderson: Walking le Jardin des Tuileries; lighting candles at Montmartre, Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame.
What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done in Paris?
Pamela Anderson: Walking my dog Zuzu in the rain.
Scroll through the gallery above for Valentino SS26