Kerry Washington Calling The Shots

Following the success of scandal and the groundswellbehind the time’s up movement, Kerry Washington realised how much power she possessed. Now she’s calling the shots

- Molly Lambert

When we meet for lunch in West Hollywood, Kerry Washington is somewhat incognito in an LA Dodgers hat and a jean jacket with the word “Mama” embroidered on a pocket. It is a testament to her stylistic skills that a mere 24 hours earlier she had jaws agape at the Golden Globes in a daring Altuzarra ensemble—a bejewelled harness worn under a black blazer and a skirt with a thigh-high slit that exposed a racy amount of skin. “It was both really sexual and sensual but also extremely empowered and boundaried,” Washington says of the look. “My favourite compliment was when this woman came up to me and said that she loved it because it was ‘so sexy’ but it also implied that ‘you can look but you can’t touch.’”

The knockout attire won the approval of her friends, too, even if it made some of them a little nervous. “Isla Fisher was at a table with J.Lo, and Isla was like, ‘I’m so stressed out. I just feel like Kerry’s jacket is going to fly open and it’s going to be a disaster,’” Washington says, laughing. “Jennifer Lopez, who is the queen of Topstick [used as garment tape], just turned to her and said, ‘She’s fine!’ Jennifer and I are from the same neighbourhood in the Bronx, so she’s always looked out for me.”