Monica Lewinsky has fronted a glamorous new campaign for sustainable fashion house Reformation as she encouraged women to vote in the next election.
The former White House intern turned activist was featured in ELLE’s Style Points section, which was accompanied by a stunning fashion spread photographed by Zoey Grossman.
The 50-year-old shared with readers what drew her to being the face of Reformation’s voice-focused ‘You’ve Got the Power’ workwear campaign – and it wasn’t just modeling the fashion brand’s fantastic new collection.
Delivering her strong message, she said she was motivated not to let “voter frustration” and “apathy” get in the way of going to the polls to cast their vote.
Lewinsky was dressed in a range of stunning ensembles – from Restoration’s two-piece linen number from the brand’s Moya collection, to a flirty long knit black dress from their Mikol line and a chic black leather Veda Ashland trench.
“We have seen in polls that voter frustration has increased and apathy has increased,” Lewinsky told ELLE fashion director Véronique Hyland.
“We all need to remind each other that we can’t let that get in the way of the need to vote, that that’s how we use our vote. That’s where our strength lies.’
Monica Lewinsky dressed in a flirty long knitted black dress from Restoration’s Mikol collection. The 50-year-old shared with readers what pushed her to become the face of Reformation’s voting-focused ‘You’ve Got the Power’ workwear campaign.
The activist is dressed in red from head to toe with the two-piece linen ensemble from Restoration from the collection of fashion brands Moya. The beautiful photos were taken by Zoey Grossman
The former White House intern models an elegant cream relaxed regenerative classic merino polo, paired with a sleek black sylvie skirt that embodies elegance and strength
Other stunning outfits Lewinsky modeled include an elegant black and white Lysander dress and a cream relaxed regenerative classic merino polo, paired with a sleek black sylvie skirt.
In the spread, Lewinsky is depicted in several powerful poses – in one her arms are crossed – in the other she is sitting in a chair with her legs crossed.
Restoration’s describes its new collection as “strong silhouettes, tasteful tailoring,” combined with their signature sustainable fibers as a way “to remind women that they have the power.”
According to Restoration, this is the third election in a row for which the company has done a project to encourage its customers to vote.
This year, the popular women’s clothing and accessories brand teamed up with the nonprofit Vote.org for a landing page, sharing the same message: to make voting accessible to everyone.
Restoration said they plan to donate some money to the nonpartisan group to continue showing their support.
This inspired Lewinsky to get involved and help motivate others.
The black and white Lysander dress from Retoration with matching boots and sunglasses is included in the collection of fashion houses with smart and fantastic sustainable fashion
A profile view of Lewinsky wearing a chic black leather Veda Ashland trench
Lewinsky also opened up about her relationship with social media, telling the magazine, “I was scared of turning 49, because 39 was a really weird year for me, and I had a hard time turning 40.”
Lauren Cohan, Reformation’s chief creative officer, believed Lewinsky would be the perfect face of the brand’s voice-focused “You’ve Got the Power” workwear campaign, which she described as “kismet.”
She knew that many Gen X, Millennial and Gen Z women see her as a “personal hero” and could relate to that.
Cohan revealed that she too became a fan of Lewinsky since seeing her at a TED talk about public shaming.
“I was like, ‘Wow, this woman is incredibly funny and smart and also a Ref babe,’ and that was the bullseye.”
Six months ago, she said, “I started thinking about how we could create a collaboration. “I was trying to find a way to connect with Monica and a mutual friend of ours said, ‘Oh, I actually just had dinner with her last week.’
“She got us together, and Monica and I met, and I tried to convince her with cashmere — just smiles and Ref cashmere.”
Lewinsky also revealed that she had some hesitation about being in front of the camera, but Restoration took care of that and hired a movement coach to put Lewinsky at ease.
“I don’t know if this sounds corny,” Lewinsky said, “but I think one way women can feel empowered is to recognize places where they might need more help and ask for that help.”
Lewinsky also opened up about her relationship with social media, telling the magazine, “I was scared of turning 49, because 39 was a really weird year for me, and I was struggling with turning 40.
‘I ended up getting a real gift: it was a year of acceptance. I was able to accept so much about myself and my life and where I am now, and that meant turning fifty was amazing.
“I’m excited about this new decade and I’m hopeful. For someone with a lot of trauma, even saying that feels scary.’