Cinema has its memorable moments in fashion—Julia Roberts’s Pretty Woman ruby red ball gown, Cher Horowitz in plaid during Clueless, and Natalie Portman as ballerina Nina Sayers in Black Swan. While some actresses decide to let their costumes remain in film history, others occasionally offer an interpretation of their on-screen fashion via their personal stylings. Well, on Thursday, Kate Hudson did just that as she stepped out in a clear homage to her Almost Famous character.
In the movie Hudson plays Penny Lane, a charming groupie based on the real-life Pennie Lane Trumbull and her group of female promoters called the Flying Garter Girls Group. Hudson’s character transported viewers back to the heyday of rock ’n’ roll and ’70s fashion—largely in part due to a shearling coat that she wore throughout the film. More than two decades after the film’s debut, Hudson hit New York City in a cozy outerwear look that could be considered the modern interpretation of Lane’s signature look.
Her coat, although entirely in fur instead of Lane’s shearling-trimmed version, featured the same two-tone colorway and roomy fit. She even added a statement shoe as her character did, in the form of black heeled boots, and slipped into loose-fitting denim. Hudson added her own twist to things with a printed top-handle bag and a striped sweater that she layered underneath.
The film’s costume designer, Betsy Heimann, explained in 2015 that the jacket served as a sort of “protection” for the character, that “no matter how low or insecure she was feeling, she put on that coat and she became Penny Lane.” Now, Heimann is not quite sure where that exact coat is (the horror), and it seems that Hudson isn’t, either. Which might explain why she found a replacement. “I stole a pair of jeans and a shirt I don’t even think made it in the movie,” she told W. “I didn’t get the fur. I think the coat is in the Academy Museum.”
The actress also detailed that her breakthrough role as Lane almost didn’t come to fruition. “Initially, I had the part of the sister,” she said, adding, “At the time, it was Brad Pitt as Russell, the rock star, and Sarah Polley as Penny Lane. But that casting fell apart, and I auditioned for Penny Lane. When they told me I had the part, I burst into tears.”