What is a Marchesa dress? Jennifer Aniston says Harvey Weinstein tried to force her to wear one
9th October 2019 12:16 PM ET
Jennifer Aniston accused the film mogul Harvey Weinstein of pressuring her to wear a dress designed by Marchesa, his ex-wife Georgina Chapman’s fashion label.
Aniston claimed in an interview for Variety’s Power of Women issue that after Chapman started her clothing line, Marchesa, Weinstein came to visit her in London while they were was shooting The Weinstein Company’s neo-noir crime thriller Derailed, released in November 2005.
According to Jennifer, Weinstein asked her to wear one of Chapman’s Marchesa dresses to the movie premiere. Aniston said she told Weinstein she did not want to wear the dress. She felt bullied because it appeared that Weinstein was trying to force her to wear the Marchesa dress.
Many actresses came forward after The New York Times and The New Yorker published articles in 2017 detailing allegations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein. Actresses who have accused him of sexual harassment include Asia Argento, Cate Blanchett, Ashley Judd, and Rose McGowan. He is reportedly set to go on trial in January 2020 for charges of rape, predatory sexual assault, and criminal sexual act.
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Aniston’s allegation against Weinstein comes ahead of the premiere of her highly-anticipated Apple TV+ drama series, The Morning Show. The show focuses on sexual misconduct in the TV industry.
In the series, Aniston plays the role of Alex Levy, a morning TV show host who battles to retain her job after her co-host Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell) is fired over sexual misconduct allegations.
What is a Marchesa dress?
Marchesa (named after the famous Italian socialite Marchesa Luisa Casati, 1881-1957) is a high-end fashion label based in New York City and founded in 2004 by Weinstein’s ex-wife Georgina Chapman and the fashion designer Keren Craig.
Marchesa’s designs include women’s clothing, wedding dresses, and accessories, such as handbags. In 2010, Marchesa introduced a cosmetics line in collaboration with Le Métier de Beauté. Marchesa also introduced dinnerware designs in collaboration with Lenox.
Marchesa’s designs have been worn on the red carpet by many celebrities. Celebrities who have worn the designs include Jennifer Lopez, Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson, Poppy Delevingne, Penelope Cruz, Cate Blanchett, and Nina Dobrev.
This is not the first time it has been alleged that Weinstein pressured actresses who appeared in his movies to wear Marchesa dresses. It was alleged that Marchesa became one of the most worn brand among celebrities due to Weinstein’s influence. But the brand fell out of favor following sexual abuse allegations against Weinstein.
Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, who co-founded Marchesa, met in London at Chelsea College of Art.