Johansson gives Weinstein wife’s snubbed fashion label new hope
SCARLETT JOHANSSON has become the first A-lister to step out wearing Marchesa, the fashion label run by the estranged wife of Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood mogul.
Johansson’s surprising choice of evening wear for the Met Gala was interpreted as a public show of support for the brand and Georgina Chapman, its British founder.
Marchesa had been all but written off after Weinstein’s career imploded last year amid multiple allegations of sexual abuse and harassment, despite Chapman saying that she had left him.
Stories emerged of Weinstein putting pressure on actresses to wear his wife’s designs on the red carpet.
One leading fashion publicist was quoted by The Hollywood Reporter as saying: “No star is ever going to want to wear the brand again.”
But Johansson’s decision to wear a burgundy Marchesa gown could be the first stage in a comeback for Chapman, who is attempting to salvage her business. The brand was worn by no one at this year’s Oscars and Golden Globes.
But Chapman is determined to continue. She attended a board meeting of the Council of Fashion Designers of America in March and Diane von Furstenberg, a fellow board member and influential fashion figure, said the industry was behind Chapman, adding: “It’s disturbing when women are penalised for the crimes of an abuser.”
Chapman co-founded Marchesa with Keren Craig in 2004, the same year that she met Weinstein. They married in 2007 and have two daughters.
The label was catapulted into the spotlight in 2007 when Renee Zellweger wore it to the London premiere of Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason. Weinstein later admitted to Vogue: “Maybe I helped, but just very, very little, with Renee Zellweger.”
Other female stars of Weinstein films also appeared on the red carpet in Marchesa designs, including Felicity Huffman, who recently confirmed a report that Weinstein threatened to pull the marketing budget of Transamerica, her film, unless she wore a Marchesa dress at the 2006 Golden Globes.