By Erin Moonyeen Haley
On Wednesday, September 28th, Variety hosted a veritable who’s who of women at the apogee of Hollywood fame and prestige for their Power of Women Event.
The event paid homage to titans of both entertainment and politics, (not to mention philanthropy), honoring such luminaries as Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey, Malala, Elizabeth Olsen and Chelsea and Hillary Clinton. Presenters were equally prestigious and included Sandra Oh, Quinta Brunson, Diana Guerrero and Kathryn Hahn.
Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay anticipated the dynamics of the event by posing on one of several covers of Variety’s 2022 Power of Women issue, with Winfrey wearing a denim one-piece complete with intricate stitching and DuVernay wearing a lengthy white button-up top with a cinched denim overlay.
For the event itself, DuVernay was more than pretty and posh in a pink suit with a tuxedo-esq flare and matching heels whose sharp toes were reminiscent of Winklepickers, circa 1950.
Elizabeth Olsen was another attendee, wowing in a lace Rodarte dress with intricate embroidery that negated the need for jewelry and whimsically complimented the raspberry-toned lipstick and loose wisps of hair.
Sandra Oh was seen rocking bangs, a chic updo and a white, Grecian-style gown that flaunted her sculpted arms and shoulders.
Quinta Brunson, meanwhile, presented a taste of old Hollywood glamour with a hot pink asymmetrical gown complete with a singular long sleeve that was trimmed with the same ruffles of feathers that accented the bottom of a fitted dress that almost gave off flamenco-dancer vibes.
Of course, no event that celebrates, (to the point of enraptured adulation), women in power would be complete without Hillary and Chelsea Clinton attending. Chelsea was ultramodern in a merlot-colored one-piece with a slightly plunging V-neck while Hillary donned an oversized but tailored blazer with a hint of an Art Deco blouse underneath.
It was Fran Drescher - leading lady of “The Nanny” and president of SAG-AFTR - who described the event perfectly when she declared that it was a “great honor to be included with such an esteemed group of accomplished women, many of whom I’ve admired and looked up to for many years.” She went on to add, “It’s lovely especially right now to acknowledge women of strength and accomplishment and power, and to remind everybody that we’re loud, we’re proud and we’re equal.”
And that was the mantra that the ladies carried on their fashionable shoulders long after the night's celebrations were done and the next day's work began anew.