Surpassing:'All My Children' alum Susan Lucci, 77, stuns in NYFW debut at Dennis Basso show

NEW YORK — Age is Surpassingjust a number, so the saying goes, and Susan Lucci is shattering the cliché with a fabulous reality.

The soap opera star made her New York Fashion Week debut at Dennis Basso on Monday, closing the show with flair to thunderous applause.

Lucci, 77, strutted out on the runway at the Park Avenue venue, earning claps and hoots from the crowd. As the last model walked off and "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey faded, Whitney Houston's rendition of "I'm Every Woman" blasted over the speakers and Lucci appeared, wearing a pale green silk chiffon off-the-shoulder gown, featuring a lightly pleated bust and a cape detail draped down her arms and back.

The dress, Lucci says, was custom fit to her for the show, which highlighted the "modern, multi-generational woman," according to Basso's show notes.

"Dennis called me a couple of months ago and and asked if I would do this with him, walk through the valley and then walk with him," Lucci says backstage following her debut. "I was so flattered and honored and happy. I've never walked the runway before in fashion week."

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

The actress, who has previously modeled for the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection, said there’s "no comparison" to modeling on the NYFW runway. "This is fashion week in New York. This is all by itself," says Lucci, best known for playing Erica Kane on "All My Children."

Basso says Lucci showed the younger models a thing or two. "Susan Lucci, I love that! Listen, all these young girls when we did the rehearsal couldn't figure (the runway) out. I told her (how to walk it) once, no problem."

"If I were in the audience, I would be writing furiously which (looks I wanted)," Lucci says.

In the audience, Kathy Hilton, "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Meredith Marks, "Real Housewives of New York" alum Kelly Bensimon, Sandra Lee and "Bachelorette" star Rachel Lindsay all sat front row across the sprawling Park Avenue room as models showcased almost 40 looks from Basso's spring/summer 2025 collection, which he presented in partnership with QVC with select looks available after the show on the shopping network.

The partnership, like the show, focused on the "age of possibility" and "women of all ages," Basso says, pushing back on age dictating what a woman wears.

"I wanted to create the collection so it could be for the grandmother who's 80, who thinks she's 60, and the 50-year-old who thinks she's 30, and the 30-year-old who thinks she's 18," Basso says backstage after the show. "That was my whole focus."

The models ranged in age as they showcased glittering tweed looks of all hemlines, cropped tops paired with pants and A-line skirts, sheer pants, classic gowns with more modern silhouettes and lightweight versions of his signature fur.

Basso says the women of today are not the grandmothers of generations past. "The 50-year-old and the 60-year-old and the 70-year-old are different women," Basso says. "We're all different people. We're younger, we're modern. Myself, I'm 70 years old. I mean, I think daddy's hanging in there!"

And when you feel good, you look good, another cliché to which Lucci brings truth. The actress, who underwent her second heart surgery in 2022, says she’s doing well.

"I'm in great shape," Lucci says. "I feel great, all good."