Meet Stacy London, this year’s speaker at the SmartWomen Luncheon & Expo

Former host of TLC's What Not To Wear talks about her passion for fashion and supporting women's internal validation and self-esteem

Everyone, at some point in their life, has endured opinions about whether or not they should wear certain outfits. This even includes the iconic host of What Not To Wear.

“I wore a questionable dress to the Emmy awards ceremony one year,” Stacy London recalls. “I ended up on a Worst-Dressed list. However, I was also on someone else’s Best-Dressed list for the same night, so that’s a feat in itself! But looking back, it was not the right dress for me.”

Proudly owning her style is something London has done for her decades-long career in the fashion and entertainment industries. Now with her own clothing line at QVC and a new show on Amazon, London is here to help women discover that same inner power—and match it to their outer style with confidence.

Continue reading below

A Powerful Passion

London grew up in New York City and knew her style likes and dislikes early on.

“I wore purple until the age of five. If you tried to put me into anything else, I was not pleased,” London says. “Every Halloween I dressed up as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Not because I'm a big fan of gingham, but because I love a sparkly ruby slipper.”

As a teen, London found herself fascinated by the machinations of the fashion industry.

“My passion for fashion started around 16,” she says. “It was this alluring industry that I didn't quite understand. I didn't understand how trends happened. I found it very interesting and super glamorous. Once I became a part of it, I realized much of it runs on insecurity. It’s the idea of ‘if you don't have this lipstick color or this bag, you're not cool.’”

Her time spent studying philosophy, psychology and literature at Vassar College gave London a different perspective, not just on life but on style. It helped shape her worldview as she embarked on a career as a fashion assistant at Vogue and later the senior fashion editor at Mademoiselle.

“I realized that the person—the individual, not the industry—is the one deciding how they want to present themselves,” London says. “That’s a whole lot more powerful than any trend.”

Control Your Narrative

There are times, of course, when someone learning to express themselves could use a little help. So when TLC premiered What Not To Wear in 2003, co-hosted by London and Clinton Kelly, the show had plenty of subject matter and a very large audience.

“I never expected to be in front of a camera, but I knew that all of my experiences up until then had brought me to that moment and that job,” she says. “I will never forget it.”

She also hopes that after 10 seasons of makeovers, the audience never forgets the underlying message of the show.

“You have the power to change your life and to control your narrative,” she says. “And clothing is part of that. Style is not a superficial pursuit. If you feel good about the way you look, you’re going to have a better day and in turn, you're going to make somebody else's day better.”

Supporting women’s internal validation and self-esteem became its own passion project for London, especially for women who may have felt invisible as they entered middle age. Her dedication was born out of her own struggle with the imposed silence surrounding perimenopause and menopause.

“I was feeling a little lost,” London recalls. “And I thought, ‘Is this what happens as we get older?’ People start viewing us differently, so do we stop feeling like ourselves?”

As London dealt with her difficult emotions, she also found herself dealing with the common physical symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, brain fog, night sweats and body aches.

“I felt so lonely and ashamed,” she says. “And I realized nobody was talking about it, but we need to! This is a part of healthcare.”

London is encouraged by how the culture is shifting, though she believes there is more work to be done.

“To see where the conversation on menopause is now, versus seven or eight years ago, is incredibly gratifying,” she says. “It’s a discussion that is here to stay.”

Full Circle

The insights that London gained over the last decade have informed how she thinks about style and how she can use her gifts to help women look and feel their best.

“It brought me full circle back to style because I started doing things differently in menopause,” she says. “I started working out for strength, not to lose 300 calories because I ate a cupcake. And I started to think about other ways to elevate and express style for women, who may be having hot flashes or who have body weight redistribution from menopause. And also, how do we get back to elegance without sacrificing comfort?”

London hopes that women will approach the questions of mid-life with a belief in themselves—and a sense of adventure.

“I hope that I can change minds as well as wardrobes,” she says. “Because a lot of style is actually cerebral. The way we dress starts with your brain, not your body. I want women to ask themselves, if they are made to feel less-than, how are you going to pull yourself out of that? You may decide to wear a great outfit that day. And to walk around like you are queen of the world.”