Paxton starred in Aquamarine in 2006 alongside Emma Roberts and Joanna "JoJo" Levesque
The Spring/Summer 2026 circuit at New York Fashion Week has been full of celebrity surprises and epic moments, and the list only grew when Sara Paxton walked the Tyler McGillivary show, modeling the "Mermaiden" collection that was fittingly inspired by the 2006 film Aquamarine.
Paxton -- who famously played the titular mermaid alongside Emma Roberts and Joanna "JoJo" Levesque -- closed out the Sept. 12 show in an appropriate seaweed green sheer gown -- featuring pleated detailing as well as an open back -- and a conch accessory in her hand, a direct nod to her character's mollusk mobile.
The actress, 37, also wore nostalgic flip-flop wedges -- all that was missing were her complementary starfish studs!
Her glam channeled the beauty trends of the early aughts, but in a more modern way. Instead of crimps, Paxton's honey blonde locks were styled in romantic waves and with parted curtain bangs.
Videos shared on social media showed Paxton beaming down the runway as guests reacted to her strut down the catwalk, which took place on the Wavertree Ship at Pier 17 in New York City. A joint Instagram clip shared to her own Instagram, as well as that of Who What Wear's, was captioned with, "Hi, Aqua! @sara_paxton took to the runway for @tylermcgillivary's spring '26 show with a conch shell in hand, naturally."
According to Fashionista, the collection was inspired by McGillivary's "long-running history and love with mermaids." The designer added: "It started with Aquamarine, which is why tonight was so exciting for me."
Never miss a story -- sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Paxton was a fixture in the early 2000s teen cinema world, also starring in Return to Halloweentown and Sleepover. However, she's recently starred in more serious projects ranging from horror film Barbarian to Marilyn Monroe-inspired movie Blonde.
But despite Aquamarine having debuted on big screens close to 20 years ago, Paxton has has fond memories of its cultural impact -- and fun wardrobe!
In a 2024 interview with PEOPLE, the mom of one revealed that she ended up taking her starfish earrings home from set. They do [speak to me]," Paxton shared, adding that its voice notes aren't as sweet-talking as they once were. "They used to be nicer, but now they're like, 'Go to the gym.' Now they're like my Apple Watch..."
She also gave insight on what happened to her iconic fish prosthetic. "Each tail was a million dollars and made out of some NASA rubber and glass," Paxton revealed of the costume prop that was made of 5,000 scales. "It was crazy. They were so insanely heavy." She sadly never got to add it to her personal collection, but she does still carry memories of it.
"Once I was in the tail, they would have to carry me on a stretcher and then leave me on the floor," she revealed. "They would just leave me there and they'd hand me some magazines and I'd be like, 'Okay, great.'"