It is rightly said that if you stay with a culprit then you are branded a criminal. In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, his estranged wife Georgina Chapman fell from grace. Her designer brand Marchesa, which was founded by financial backing from the Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein suffered as the Hollywood’s elite did not want to be seen in their designer gowns on the red carpet. However, Chapman’s Marchesa made a comeback when Scarlett Johansson wore a stunning off-shoulder burgundy gown to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit in New York on Monday.
The dress created a stir in the fashion world. Last year, numerous women came forward to publicly accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct giving rise to the #MeToo movement which created a stir not only in Hollywood but across the world. Chapman was suspected that she must have known or suspected her husband’s alleged behaviour, but she maintained that she was unaware of it. In January this year, the runway show for Marchesa’s fall collection was cancelled. So when Johansson chose to sport the designer label it sent people into a frenzy. Anna Wintour, the organizer of the Met Gala and editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine said, “Georgina is a brilliant designer and I don’t think she should be blamed for her husband’s behaviour.”
In an interview with Vogue, Chapman said that she never suspected her husband of wrongdoing. She said, “There was a part of me that was terribly naive — clearly, so naïve. I have moments of rage, I have moments of confusion, I have 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? I had what I thought was a very happy marriage. I loved my life.”
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She said that she tried to keep a low profile after the allegations as she was humiliated and hurt and was protective of the couple’s children. She said, “All the women who have been hurt deserve dignity and respect, so I want to give it the time it deserves,” cancelling fashion shows and not offering gowns during award seasons as they “didn’t feel appropriate.” On the other hand, Johansson said that she chose to wear a Marchesa gown as a show of support to Chapman and co-founder Keren Craig. She was quoted as saying, “I wore Marchesa because their clothes make women feel confident and beautiful, and it is my pleasure to support a brand created by two incredibly talented and important female designers.”
