There’s no better star for a fashion campaign dubbed “#OwnYourPower” than the powerhouse of Hollywood, Shonda Rhimes. She’s the mastermind behind TV juggernauts Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder and the Netflix smash hits Bridgerton and Inventing Anna. Over her impressive career, she redefined Hollywood by breaking down barriers and telling all stories about all people. She’s shattered a few glass ceilings along the way, too, becoming TV’s highest paid showrunner. As hitmaker Rhimes churns out record-breaking programs, plus Shondaland podcasts and content, what helps the creator feel her best and, in turn, do her best work is the power of the perfect outfit.
“For me, fashion is fascinating because I love to look at beautiful clothes. In my job working in television, the costumes have always been incredibly important for me. But I also really like to be comfortable,” Rhimes says. “Being comfortable is probably the most important thing for me. If I don’t feel comfortable, I feel like I can’t think creatively.”
One brand that delivers exactly what Rhimes searches for sartorially is the American knitwear fashion house St. John. “I’ve been wearing the brand for years,” she shares. “It’s really rare to find clothes that are this comfortable and this well-made at the same time so that you can sort of be out in the world looking professional but always sort of feel like you’re wearing your comfiest things that make you present yourself in the best way.”
The producer wore St. John on the cover of TIME, and she attended the 2022 Emmys in what she recalls was the “most incredible dress” that the brand crafted for her. The piece, Rhimes says, made her feel “like a princess” — something she doesn’t necessarily always endorse, “but it was perfect for that moment.”
A partnership was the organic next step for St. John, and the heritage brand tapped Rhimes to star in its Spring 2023 #OwnYourPower campaign, a celebration of incredible women doing extraordinary things. “We believe Shonda represents St. John so well,” St. John Global CEO Andy Lew says. “Our clothes empower global audiences, and Shonda does the same.”
For Rhimes, the decision to work with St. John was simple, especially since the campaign centers
around the empowerment of women, a topic she’s passionate about. “It’s getting harder and harder as opposed to easier for women to feel empowered in the office,” she explains. “Having #OwnYourPower be what the campaign is about is really about women supporting other women and letting other women know that no matter who you are or where you are in life, it’s not easy.”
“None of this is easy,” she continues. “Nobody has a job that feels like they’re just doing it all perfectly. I think it’s important to sort of expose that to everybody and to let everybody know that it doesn’t matter who you are or what you’re doing, you can find power in yourself and own it and elevate yourself.”
For women on the path to owning their power, her advice is simple: Believe in what you can accomplish. “You know more than you think you know — we all know more than we think we know,” Rhimes insists. “We’re conditioned to feel like we know less. We’re conditioned to feel like we have to sort of sit behind somebody else and the reality of it is we all have the right instincts going for us and everybody should really just embrace those.”
The mom of three understands women prioritizing and taking care of themselves can be “an incredibly difficult thing to do,” and when she needs a quick boost, she simply wears something she loves. “I feel better when I look better,” she says. “I always say if I show up at work and I’m incredibly perfect looking, it’s because I’m having a bad day and I’m trying to sort of pull myself up.” No doubt, she’s dressed in St. John.
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