In the age of #MeToo and Time’s Up, fashion line Marchesa’s revenues take a nosedive from one demographic of clientele: Hollywood.
Marchesa is a self-professed “high-end womenswear” label best known for dressing Hollywood’s leading ladies. It can best be summed up as fairytale attire for adults. It was founded in 2014 by Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman. Chapman also happens to be the wife of disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein.
Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman
Some adorners of this label in the past have been Blake Lively, Julianne Hough, Chrissy Teigen, Octavia Spencer, and Sandra Bullock, who wore Marchesa when she won Best Actress at the Academy Awards in 2010. These women have not only worn Marchesa to big shows like the Oscars, but some have even opted to wear the label as their wedding dresses! Imagine: any label is at your disposal, and you select Marchesa for the biggest day of your life! Marchesa sure is loved.
Julianne Hough walking down the aisle in Marchesa
As of late, though, Marchesa has mostly been rejected by Hollywood since the allegations against Harvey Weinstein for sexual harassment and sexual assault have come to light. Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig even released their 2018 collection online instead of doing their regular New York City runway show.
Prior to the union of Chapman and Weinstein, Marchesa was largely unknown. With their marriage, however, it cemented her brand as a red carpet regular alongside legendary labels like Chanel, Versace and Oscar de la Renta.
Since the allegations began to surface, Chapman has separated and filed for divorce from Weinstein, releasing a statement to People that reads:
“My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions. I have chosen to leave my husband. Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time.”
Chapman and Weinstein have two children together: a seven-year-old daughter named India Pearl and a four-year-old son named Dashiell–named after the author of The Thin Man, who served as a topic of conversation on the couple’s first date.
Georgina Chapman photographed next to her daughter India Pearl Weinstein
Since the allegations against Weinstein surfaced, Marchesa’s colourful gowns have noticeably vanished from red carpets, and a sea of black has emerged in their place.
Understandably, high profile actors do not want to be seen in Marchesa at this time. Hollywood is still reeling from the onslaught of accusations that took courage and plenty of emotion for people to come forward with. But this then begs the question, should we support this label again someday, or boycott it now and always? Rose McGowan has a clear stance on the matter. In December 2017, Rose McGowan tweeted:
“Actresses, like Meryl Streep, who happily worked for The Pig Monster, are wearing black @goldenglobes in a silent protest. YOUR SILENCE is THE problem. You’ll accept a fake award breathlessly & affect no real chance [sic]. I despise your hypocrisy. Maybe you should all wear Marchesa.”
The tweet has since been deleted, but Marchesa has not yet made a reapperance on the red carpet.
In this way, McGowan has framed Marchesa as the exact opposite of the Time’s Up buttons. That is, Marchesa is being perceived as a marker of a woman’s support for the opposite side.
McGowan is an American actress best known for her role in the TV series Charmed. McGowan has a new memoir out called Brave that that chronicles her unconventional childhood and her encounter with “the monster,” Harvey Weinstein. Her clear rejection of her Hollywood sex-symbol status and her refusal to be hushed about her alleged sexual assault have marked McGowan as a leader in gender equality politics and the discussion about sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace.
Cover of Rose McGowan’s new book
While most university students are unlikely to be previous clients of this brand because of the enormous price tag, it does raise questions about the idea of “proper feminism.” I’m hesitant to use that phrase, because it inherently creates a good feminism/bad feminism dichotomy, but here I am, using it anyways, apparently. The reason I do so is because, in light of McGowan’s tweet to Meryl Streep, she created a dichotomy that decreed that good feminists wear Time’s Up pins and bad feminists wear Marchesa. The atmosphere feels tense, as if the sight of an actor wearing Marchesa would cause an outcry and some serious Twitter trolls policing that actor back in line. Isn’t it problematic, though, to shame a woman for what she wears? Isn’t that inherently anti-feminist? By outcasting Georgina Chapman and her brand, aren’t we asserting some sort of blame on her for her ex-husband’s actions? Doesn’t that sound like we’re blaming the woman instead of “the monster”?
All in all, I wonder to myself, aren’t the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements about more than a dress? Or, has Marchesa really taken on a symbolic representation heavier than any jewel-encrusted gown? You tell me.