By Ani Bundel
The 11th Annual Her Universe Fashion Show was held in the Seaport Ballroom on Thursday, one of the annual traditions that’s been kicking off San Diego Comic-Con since 2014. A celebration of fandom creativity and cosplay on a runway level scale, the event has become a must-attend experience for con-goers.
It helps that founder Ashley Eckstein (and her high school bud/co-host Michael James Scott) are extremely savvy performers and recognize the biggest trends in cosplay fashion as they happen. Unsurprisingly, the 2025 theme was inspired by Wicked, the two-part musical film which released part one in 2024 and will release part two this holiday season.
Not only does the Wicked theme appeal to a fandom that’s existed since The Wizard of Oz was initially released over a century ago, but the contrasting pink-and-green color scheme is easy for budding designers to work with.
The show consisted of 25 contenders, split into five groups. Groups 1 and 2 were inspired by films by Universal (the production company behind Wicked, which also sponsored this year’s fashion show), Group 3 by Wicked itself, and Groups 4 and 5 by classic genre films and TV series. Some of the highlights included Grace Meek’s stained glass Wicked gown, Margaret Kidwell’s Saturday Night Live gown with an NBC Peacock-inspired, bedazzled bodice, Jen Wolff’s Creature from the Black Lagoon suit, and two wedding gowns from Ericka Angiuli and Paige Campbell, inspired by Frankenstein and Dracula, respectively.
As always, there were two winners, one chosen by the judges and one by the audience. The judges’ choice was, as always, a headscratcher for most. Lynleigh Sato’s “Poppy’s Hues of Happiness” gown, inspired by the Trolls films with its troll hair shoulders and slightly terrifying purse was a technical marvel, but not something audience members were necessarily into. The audience choice, Caitlin Beard’s The Mummy-inspired “Couture of the Dead” gown with its hand-painted hieroglyphics and scarab embellishments, was more of an evening gown, and something those assembled could see themselves wanting to wear.
Speaking to Beards after the show, she said she was honored to have taken the audience vote, and to have received the validation of her peers, while Sato was pleased to have been selected by the judges. Both women will be given the opportunity to design lines for the Her Universe brand, a steppingstone to a sustainable design career. If nothing else, they can most likely look forward to deigning looks for Eckstein and Scott, both of whom wore multiple looks designed by previous winners Andrew MacLaine (2014’s Audience Winner) and Hannah Kent (2016’s Judges’ Winner.)
MacLaine and Kent’s work is a reminder of the platform Eckstein provides to these budding artists, as the most impressive looks of the night were the ones she and Scott wore. Scott’s Emerald City Wizard-inspired coat made from shattered green glass was a showstopper. But nothing quite reached the level of Eckstein’s final outfit, a floral creation made from living plants which was assembled less than 24 hours before showtime. Fashion at the Her Universe show continues to grow year on year, both in the designers and the designs.
Stay tuned to The Beat for more coverage from SDCC ’25.
SDCC COVERAGE SPONSORED BY MAD CAVE
