Former wife of Weinstein exhibits bridalwear venture

THE former wife of Harvey Weinstein has launched her first mass market wedding dress collection, saying a woman’s nuptials should be “the most important and special day” of her life.

Georgina Chapman, who said that she had enjoyed what she “thought was a very happy marriage” before finding out about the multiple allegations of abuse against the disgraced film mogul, unveiled the 21-piece Marchesa For Pronovias collection via Zoom yesterday, saying she had always wanted to design wedding dresses.

Ms Chapman, creative director of the Marchesa fashion label, said: “There’s something about bridal that speaks to me – the romance of it, the uniqueness of it. I always wanted to design bridal fashion – from a very young age it’s something I used to doodle about and was always drawn to.

Urging brides to “follow your heart”, she added: “There’s a moment when somebody puts on the right dress. It’s magical, there’s chemistry, and you’ll know when it happens.

“People light up when they find their dress. Brides are universal. They all want the same thing: to feel special and beautiful on their day. That doesn’t change. Love doesn’t change.”

The London-born fashion designer met Weinstein in 2003 and reportedly began dating the film producer while he was still married to his first wife, Eve Chilton.

They married in Connecticut in 2007 and had two children before the couple separated in 2017 following multiple allegations of sexual abuse against him. Their divorce was finalised in 2018, the year Weinstein was arrested and charged with rape. He is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York.

Her couture dresses were often worn by actresses on the red carpet, notably at Weinstein premieres, and following his imprisonment fashion industry insiders questioned whether any bride or actress would “ever walk down the aisle in a gown designed by Chapman”.

Ms Chapman, 44, said that collaborating with the Spanish label Pronovias, one of the world’s largest bridal houses, will allow Marchesa to offer its designs to a wider audience, with the dresses starting at £1,800.