Pamela Anderson's “Rebellious” Style Is Truly Timeless

Denim has been embedded in Pamela Anderson’s DNA since, well, forever. The Canadian-born model-turned-actor was actually first “discovered” on a stadium Jumbotron wearing jeans and a cutoff tee way back in the ‘80s while attending a B.C. Lions football game. And after making it big in Hollywood, she refused to trade in her go-to bottoms. She even infamously wore a micro-mini denim skirt and white button down — tied at the waist to expose her midriff — to the 2006 post-Oscars Vanity Fair Party, to the apparent chagrin of the publication’s editors. While the ‘90s icon will certainly switch up her look here and there — in her 2024 return to the aforementioned VF event on Sunday night, Anderson opted for a stunning floral Oscar de la Renta gown), her most authentic self is and always will be in blue jeans.

It makes sense, then, that the Baywatch legend would partner with denim label RE/DONE on a capsule collection. According to Anderson, the partnership has been a long time coming. “We all kind of grew up together,” says Anderson to TZR, referencing the Malibu community in which she resided for years and where she met RE/DONE co-founders Sean Barron and Jamie Mazur. “We've probably known each other as long [as I’ve been wearing] my favorite little pieces [...] We just sat on the floor one day and hashed out some ideas and it turned into this collection, which was only going to be maybe a T-shirt to start with.”

This small idea slowly grew into a 25-piece range that encapsulates Anderson’s laid-back “farm-meets-Malibu” vibe. Think: knit hoodies, graphic tees, tie-front cropped-tops, denim shirts, relaxed cut-off shorts, and chambray dresses. “[The capsule] kind of marries all those pieces together and makes them cheeky and fun,” she says. (Fun fact: the “Girls” baby tee Anderson wore back in 1996 has been recreated for the new collection.)

Barron chimes in, explaining that the goal for the new installment was to honor the actor’s iconic ‘90s style in a fresh and modern way. The Anderson jean style, for example, is a comfy mid-rise straight-leg silhouette that riffs on the the super-high tapered options that ruled 20 years ago. This likely settles Anderson’s neutral stance on the heated low-rise-versus-high-rise debate dividing Gen Zers and millennials at the moment. “I wore it all, and [mid-rise] is my favorite,” says Anderson with that signature hair toss that first won over the world so many years ago.

This laissez faire approach to getting dressed, of course, is what has made Anderson a style icon. She’s worn countless memorable pieces in the last three decades that have gone down in pop culture history: a fuzzy pink hat (at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards), a leather bodysuit (seen in her 1996 sci-fi film Barb Wire), and of course that red bathing suit (on Baywatch). Reflecting over her style journey, one word sums up Anderson’s looks nicely: “rebellious.”

“You tell me what to wear, I wear the opposite,” she says. “I like to ensure that I have my own opinion and body autonomy. My dress, my look. If it's wild or crazy or if it's just paired back. It seems like when I listen to other people's advice, that's where I go wrong. I mean take it in, reflect on it, be respectful — but then do you.”

For this reason, Anderson says she isn’t working with a stylist at the moment. While she’s employed them in the past, the actor is in a place where she wants to call the shots in every aspect of her life, and that includes her wardrobe. “I just need to be me,” she says simply. “I'm screaming to get out. [...] And this is the thing, it’s like a battle, it doesn't matter how old you are. You know yourself best.”

The new RE/DONE x Pam collection is available worldwide at shopredone.com, RE/DONE retail locations, and other luxury stoRES. Shop our top picks below and get ready to exude some serious Pam energy.