Daily Mail, Tuesday, March 3, 2020^ Page 25life
She’s the Home Counties public
schoolgirl who married Weinstein and
launched her own fashion label. Now,
after two years in purdah, she’s dating
an Oscar-winning actor... and Anna
Wintour’s helping save her career
from first wife Eve in 2004
— s h e h a d b e e n h i s
assistant. They have
three daughters, the
youngest of whom was
only two at the time of
the divorce.
At first, there was panic
about how Eve might take
the news of Harvey’s very
young girlfriend. Georgina
is 24 years his junior.
Journalists were
p h o n e d a n d
offered access
i n p e r p e t u i t y
to ‘every party
H a r v e y t h r e w ’
in return for killing
a s t o r y a b o u t
their romance.
It was said that
Georgina’s mother,
in particular, had
doubts about her
d a t i n g We i n s t e i n ,
already infamous in the
f i l m b u s i n e s s a s a
swaggering bully.
Georgina had taken a
foundation course at the
Chelsea College of Art
and Design, and in 2004
she and best friend KerenCraig rented a studio to make
clothes. They called their
fledgling label Marchesa after
Marchesa Luisa Casati, an
Italian heiress.
Quickly, a series of useful
associations fell into place.
S w a r o v s k i s p o n s o r e d
Marchesa, they met with
the Hollywood stylist
Rachel Zoe, and
J i m m y C h o o
founder Tamara
M e l l o n g a v e
them advice on
getting their
clothes on the
red carpet.
In Novem-
b e r 2 0 0 4
Renee Zell-
weger wore
a Marchesa
dress to the
UK premiere
o f B r i d g e t
J o n e s : T h e
Edge of Rea-
son. Zellweger
said: ‘This is a
n e w B r i t i s h
d e s i g n e r, i t’ s
M a r c h e s a. I t ’ s
weighted and hand-embroidered. I just love it so much.’
The fact that the producer’s girl-
friend had made the gown may just
have ignited her enthusiasm.
After Renee, the department
store Neiman Marcus offered to
stock Marchesa and help the
company create a diffusion line.
Georgina moved to New York.
The speed with which Marchesa
was a success raised some eye-
brows. In 2006, the Los Angeles
Times published an article titled
‘ T h e H a r v e y Fa c t o r? ’ w h i c h
observed: ‘Competitors complain
that Marchesa dresses are worn on
the red carpet because the stars
— and their agents, managers and
lawyers — need to please the
powerful Weinstein. Say the word
“Marchesa” and publicists groan.’
Naturally, Weinstein — who
married Georgina in December
2007 at his waterfront Connecticut
estate before a star-studded crowd
that included Jennifer Lopez,
Cameron Diaz and Renee Zellweger
— was among the first investors in
the nascent business.
The New York Times reported
that he made ‘timely contributions
in amounts the company would
not disclose’. Another primary
backer was a good friend ofWeinstein’s — Giuseppe Cipriani.
Here the story of Marchesa takes a
darker turn, for it was at Cipriani’s
New York bar Socialista in 2007
that journalist Lauren Sivan
encountered Weinstein. She had
dinner with Cipriani and Weinstein
before the producer suggested he
show her the restaurant downstairs
and then cornered her — and
masturbated into a plant pot.
Ms Sivan described Cipriani’s
restaurants as Weinstein’s ‘hunting
ground’. At least three allegations
of assault by Weinstein took place
at properties owned by Cipriani.
But with Cipriani’s money, and
Weinstein’s encouragement, the
Marchesa brand became popular.
Cate Blanchett wore a Marchesa
mini to the Rome premiere of The
Aviator, while Nicole Kidman,
Penelope Cruz and Diane Kruger
also graced the red carpet in its
gowns. The label was named Red
Carpet Designer of the Year at the
British Fashion Awards in 2007.
Not every actress, however, was
b i d d a b l e w h e n i t c a m e t o
s u p p o r t i n g We i n s t e i n’ s w i f e.
Actress Jessica Chastain says
she was asked to wear Marchesa
to the premiere of The Weinstein
C o m p a n y ’ s 2 0 1 4 f i l m T h e
D i s a p p e a r a n c e O f E l e a n o r
Rigby. She refused, opting for
Versace instead.
Harvey Weinstein later chided
her when introducing her at an
e v e n t. ‘ H e a c t u a l l y t o l d t h e
audience, “If I had to get in a
boxing ring with Muhammad Ali
or Jessica Chastain, I would choose
Muhammad Ali,’ ” Chastain said.
On October 5, 2017, as Georgina
Chapman was at New York Bridal
Week presenting Marchesa’s latest
collection, The New York Times
published its exposé accusing
Weinstein of paying off sexual
harassment accusers for decades.
Upmarket jewellery retailer
Helzberg Diamonds cancelled a
p l a n n e d c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h
Marchesa and its ready-to-wear
show was also canned.
Georgina released a statement
which ran: ‘My heart breaks for all
the women who have suffered
tremendous pain because of these
unforgivable actions. I have chosen
to leave my husband.’
In the immediate aftermath,
things looked bleak. #Boycott-
Marchesa began trending on
Twitter. A New York fashion
publicist was quoted as saying: ‘No
star is ever going to want to wear
the brand again.’
Friend and model Karen Elson
said that people assumed Georgina
must have been aware of herhusband’s abuse.
In an interview,
Karen said: ‘“She
must have known”
is what so many
p e o p l e s a y a t
dinner parties. The
thing that pains me
is that when anyone
finds out I know
George, that’s the
first thing they say.
Like she is somehow
responsible for his
hideous behaviour.
‘When I say, “Well,
actually she didn’t
know,” it becomes
this other judgment:
“How could she not
have known?” It’s
so complicated.’
Georgina gave an
interview to Vogue —
run by close friend
Dame Anna Wintour
— to try to put some
distance between her-
self and Weinstein.
She said: ‘There was
a part of me that was
terribly naive. I have
moments of rage, I
h a v e m o m e n t s o f
c o n f u s i o n , I h a v e
moments of disbelief.
And I have moments when I just
cry for my children. What are their
lives going to be? What are people
going to say to them? It’s like, they
love their dad. They love him. I
just can’t bear it for them.’
She went on to claim she ‘never’
knew. ‘That’s what makes this so
incredibly painful: I had what I
thought was a very happy marriage.
I loved my life,’ she added.
A few months later, Vogue ran a
piece asking if it was time to start
wearing Marchesa again.A
N N A WI N T O U R
apparently suggested
S c a r l e t t J o h a n s s o n
wear the label to the
Met Gala in 2018. Johansson
obliged. ‘It is my pleasure to
support a brand created by two
incredibly talented and important
female designers,’ she said.
A few says later, Dame Anna told
T h e L a t e S h o w i n A m e r i c a :
‘Georgina is a brilliant designer and
I don’t think she should be blamed
for her husband’s behaviour.’
T h e r e h a v e b e e n o t h e r
encouraging voices. Steven Kolb,
the CEO of the Council of Fashion
Designers of America, said: ‘Scarlett
wearing the dress at the Met
hopefully begins to move the brand
away from an unfair exile. It should
have a place in our industry.’
Actress Priyanka Chopra also
wore Marchesa at her New York
bridal shower, noting: ‘Georgina’s
a friend of mine, and it’s not
her fault.’
But the A-list have yet to rush
back. At this year’s Oscars, the
only person to be seen in Marchesa
was Heidi Klum.
Last summer, co-founder Keren
Craig quit Marchesa, noting her
‘tremendous pride’ in the brand in
a s t a t e m e n t. T h e N e w Yo r k
Post noted: ‘They almost split up
due to Harvey — the way he
promoted only Georgina. Without
Keren, Marchesa wouldn’t last
two minutes.’
However, Georgina is not giving
up. The brand is still stocked in
the same outlets. The firm does
not post sales or profits figures,
but her people claim that business
is ‘doing well’. Its daywear, bridal
wear and casual wear range is
also expanding.
The loss of Keren is said to be
‘nothing to do with Harvey’, but is
instead because she wanted to
relocate. Craig herself declines
to comment.
M a n y i n t h e i n d u s t r y w i s h
Georgina well. One publicist
observed: ‘Look, Georgina’s a
survivor. If she can survive Harvey,
she can survive anything.’
n Additional reporting:
Daniel Bates in New YorkFresh start: Georgina on
holiday in St Tropez. Below,
new boyfriend Adrien Brodyrose
Harvey ’s
English
comeback
tHorny
and a
very
Pictures: dave BeneTT /WireiMage/insTagraM