Variety’s Power of Women London spotlights sleek power dressing

The sharpest message from Variety’s first Power of Women London was that old-money power dressing has moved on from stealth wealth and corporate armor. At The Chancery Rosewood in Mayfair on June 3, Cynthia Erivo, Emilia Clarke, Emma Corrin, Hannah Waddingham and Suki Waterhouse framed authority in a cooler register, with clean suiting, controlled color and crisp silhouettes that looked polished rather than severe.

That mattered because this was not just another red-carpet extension of a U.S. franchise. Presented in partnership with A+E Global Media’s Lifetime, the London edition marked a deliberate expansion, and Dea Lawrence made the case plainly when she called London “arguably the biggest entertainment hub outside the United States” and the U.K. the “second largest entertainment hub in the world.” Her timing tracked with the industry’s momentum: the British Film Institute put film and premium television production spend in Britain at £6.8 billion, or $9.12 billion, up 22 percent year over year.

The clothes captured that shift in social signaling. What stood out across the evening was not flash for its own sake, but tailoring with intent, shoulders given shape without aggression, and fabrics that read refined rather than precious. This is where the new old-money code lives now: in a suit that suggests access, discipline and taste, without looking like it has come from a boardroom. The power is softer, but the message is sharper.

The honorees gave the night its human center. Variety said each of the five women received a separate cover in the accompanying issue, and it pledged donations to the charity chosen by each honoree: SameYou for Emilia Clarke, War Child for Emma Corrin, The Shameless Fund for Cynthia Erivo, Make-A-Wish UK for Hannah Waddingham and Facing the World for Suki Waterhouse. The evening was hosted by Ania Magliano, opened with Waterhouse’s performance of her new single “Back in Love,” and included remarks from Lawrence alongside reflections on careers and community.

The setting only strengthened the effect. The Chancery Rosewood, which opened on Sept. 1, 2025 inside the former U.S. Embassy building in Grosvenor Square, brings 144 suites and multiple dining and event spaces to one of London’s most charged addresses. With Josh O’Connor, Edward Enninful, Tom Francis, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Thea Sharrock among the presenters, the launch felt less like a debut than a declaration: the language of power dressing is becoming sleeker, more deliberate and far more assured.