Getting Lost and Found With Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson is lost. And I think it's my fault.
We're on the phone; she's in her car trying to get somewhere, I'm in a sterile, empty conference room. And no, it's not because I'm secret besties with Kate Hudson, though, when this story is done you'll be as convinced as I am that it would be a lot of fun to be besties with Kate Hudson. We're on a press call, probably the 10th or 20th she's done that day, and we're supposed to be talking about her athleisure line, Fabletics, which is expanding to include dresses and swimwear starting on April 1st.
"I am totes lost."
But right now, Kate Hudson is lost.
"What just happened here? What did I do? I'm confused. Did I go the wrong way?" Hudson says.
"Are you lost?" I ask.
"I am totes lost," she says.
My mind is racing. What do I do in this moment? You should Google Map Kate Hudson, I think. The Internet is always the answer. "Can I navigate you?" I offer.
"What the fuck. My brain," Hudson mutters. "Oh, that's a cute house! Ok, I'm back. I'm back."
I awkwardly apologize, in case one of my questions about which bikini is her favorite bikini (a question I've been strongly encouraged by the Fabletics publicity team to ask) caused her to veer off course.
"I'm actually really good when I'm lost," Hudson tells me. Noted. Of course she is. The Kate Hudson I envision in my head-the one who is a mash-up of the charmingly goofy person I see on Snapchat, Penny Lane, and Andie Anderson-would be really good at being lost.
She's also really good at branding that charmingly goofy yet still sexy-as-hell image. You know, the one that pulls off dresses with allll the cut outs on the red carpet.
Foreseeing the longevity of the athleisure trend, Hudson launched Fabletics in October 2013 in partnership with Just Fab, Inc., the subscription fashion service that also owns Kim Kardashian's shoe site, ShoeDazzle. In the last three years, Fabletics has also launched men's (in partnership with Hudson's brother Oliver) and brick and mortar stores. She also released a health and wellness book, Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body, in February of 2016 (sample quote: "I didn't just wake up one day understanding how to take care of myself. I had to learn how to do so over time, and I continue to learn - each and every day"). She has 3.9 million followers on Instagram. And on April 29th, her newest film, Mother's Day, in which she stars opposite Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts, hits theaters.
"Our customer was asking for it," Hudson explains, her bearings now found, of the decision to launch swim. "It seemed they really wanted active swimwear, something you could wear playing with the kids that wouldn't fall off." As for the dresses, "everyone wants a dress that holds everything in," Hudson said. "So we did some that maintain our brand quality, using a lot of our legging materials."
Which brings us to leggings, a perennial ELLE.com debate topic. Are leggings pants? "For sure." Hudson says. "If I'm packing some leggings, they count as a pant outfit. They're super versatile."
I force myself to ask some more recommended questions: How do you style this collection? ("Sometimes a bikini with jean shorts. Sometimes a one piece and jean shorts"). What's your favorite piece? ("The white bathing suit. It's super sexy"); and how do you get "beach ready"? ("What's fun to do before summer or going on a vacation is probably a cleanse. Because you're gonna wanna have some cocktails and eat food that's there. But I love to work out. I work out every morning").
Hudson seems to be enjoying these questions as much as I am. I try something different: "Is there anything that you've worn that you look at it and think WHY? Do you have any fashion regrets?"
"The truth is, I'm not that self critical," Hudson says. Okay, this is refreshing. "And I hope people aren't that self critical. Who cares? No regrets." She concedes, "I think there are things I've worn that are funny...Like I used to wear those really sporty Oakleys, you know? Like in 8th grade Oakleys were the cool glasses...and I sported some crazy looking Oakleys, as if I was cycling everyday or something. But I don't regret it. I think it's kind of awesome."
Sensing our time is running out, I summon one last attempt, a question on a subject that I actually care deeply about: snacks and couch time.
"If you could have your perfect do-nothing, binge-watch-Netflix, eat-all-the-snacks day, what would it look like?"
"I love this question," Hudson says. "Nobody asks me this question. This is the best question I've had in a long time."
I do a silent victory dance in the conference room.
"So, my favorite day on the couch would be: Sugarfish sushi, which would turn into Tates gluten free chocolate chip cookies, which would then be accompanied by a so-delicious ice cream bar with a chocolate and dairy-free coconut ice cream. But my favorite, favorite, favorite would be frozen yogurt. I usually like a coconut fro-yo with some kind of chocolate situation and anything with cinnamon, or graham cracker-y, or oatmeal cookie type vibe. And that would be my favorite couch watching TV day."
Same.
