Emma Corrin and Cynthia Erivo lead power dressing at Variety London event

Variety’s first Power of Women London event made a clear case for where celebrity dressing is headed now: less generic glamour, more identity-led tailoring. Held on June 3, 2026, in partnership with A+E Global Media’s Lifetime, the night brought Emilia Clarke, Emma Corrin, Cynthia Erivo, Hannah Waddingham and Suki Waterhouse into the same room, with Ania Magliano hosting and Josh O’Connor, Tom Francis, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Thea Sharrock and Edward Enninful among the presenters.

The carpet leaned hard into power dressing, but not in the stiff, boardroom sense. Saturated color, sharp tailoring and high-impact silhouettes gave the evening its charge, with looks from Miu Miu, Dior, Vivienne Westwood, Schiaparelli and custom labels turning the room into a study in how modern luxury works best when it reflects the person wearing it. The strongest outfits felt specific rather than simply expensive, the kind of clothes that say as much about public persona as they do about status.

Emma Corrin stood at the center of that conversation. Variety described Corrin as the first non-binary honoree in the Power of Women franchise, a milestone that gave the evening more than a fashion narrative. Corrin’s presence made the case for a red carpet language that is increasingly less about fitting into a polished formula and more about pushing it open. That shift matters, because the most memorable fashion now tends to belong to people whose style already feels like a point of view.

Cynthia Erivo brought a different kind of force, one rooted in theatrical polish and unmistakable presence, while Emilia Clarke and Hannah Waddingham added their own read on high-visibility dressing. Suki Waterhouse and Havana Rose Liu helped broaden the mood, keeping the evening from settling into one note. The surprise appearance by Dame Joan Collins only sharpened the sense that this was a London event with real old-school star power, not just a stop on the usual awards-season circuit.

What Variety framed as a celebration of women taking center stage in the U.K. entertainment industry became, on the carpet, a sharper argument about celebrity-house alignment. When the clothes feel tailored to the wearer’s public identity, the result looks more current, more memorable and far less interchangeable. That is where luxury is winning now.