I’ve been reading so much about Harvey Weinstein over the past week, I can’t always cite some of the periphery pieces which aren’t always newsworthy. But it’s worth linking to this Variety piece, which came out in the immediate wake of the NYT article and Harvey’s initial statement, lawsuit threat and stupid first interview. Variety’s PR experts are basically like WHOA, Harvey bungled the sh-t out of his own PR. His own crisis response was deplorable at every level. That’s what this People Magazine article reminds me of too – just at a PR level, Georgina Chapman needs better people. She needs to take someone else’s advice. If she doesn’t change her reactions, she’s going to be hit in the press just as hard as her husband. From People Mag:
The future of Harvey Weinstein’s marriage to Georgina Chapman, as well as the future of her fashion label Marchesa, is up in the air after allegations of sexual misconduct were levied against the powerhouse producer last week. Multiple sources confirm to PEOPLE that the movie mogul, 65, and the fashion designer, 41, are together at a hotel in Los Angeles. The duo tied the knot in 2007 and have two children — India Pearl, 7, and Dashiell Max Robert, 4.
As for the future of their marriage, one source tells PEOPLE a split is “inevitable” but not happening right now, while another claims that “Georgina is really mad” but “not even really at Harvey.” Instead, the second source says Chapman is concerned with the impact the scandal might have on her fashion label Marchesa, whose gowns are often worn on red carpets by A-list actresses.
“Georgina is furious and embarrassed,” a third source says. “She is very upset, but not rushing to file for divorce. This doesn’t even seem like an option.” The source adds, “Georgina talks about the incidents like they happened before they were married. Still, it’s very sad and disappointing to Georgina that Harvey has behaved like this. It’s not anything that can just be forgotten, or forgiven. Right now, she seems very focused on Marchesa. Marchesa is her baby too. It’s a family business. She has several friends working for Marchesa and also her brother. She needs to keep business going. She will do what she can to keep her personal life away from Marchesa.”
Despite Chapman’s talent as a designer, the source says success in her industry often comes down to connections. “Georgina didn’t have those connections for Marchesa to be successful, but Harvey did,” says the source. “Georgina is in a tricky situation now. She truly loves her life.”
A television and fashion insider also tells PEOPLE that the future of Marchesa could be in jeopardy. “Harvey is the one with all the friends,” the TV-fashion source says. “It’s going to be a tough time for her and Marchesa.”
Yeah, woe is Georgina’s business, have some sympathy for THAT! Dear Georgina: DO BETTER. YOU DO NOT NEED HIM. Stop listening to the people telling you to ride this out by his side. Stop allowing people to try to paint you as sympathetic and long-suffering to People Magazine. It’s not helping. Get better people. Take care of yourself and your children, hire a great divorce lawyer and start with this thought: “I am healthy, capable and free.” So what if Marchesa folds? You can start another fashion line or work somewhere else. No amount of career-saving or marriage-saving is worth this mess, especially when it’s not even a secret that you’ll leave him eventually! Get out while the getting is good, that’s what my mother always said.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
According to Town and Country, she is prepared to weather the storm. Did you see Donna Karan’s comments? Unbelievable:http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/donna-karan-defends-harvey-weinstein-directs-blame-at-womens-sexuality-are-we-asking-it-1047245
I hope Marchesa and DK both tank.
Donna sold DKNY. But yeah, hope Marchesa tanks if she stays.
She needs to hire whoever advised Liberty Ross. Leaks to People are not the way to go right now. Get out of sight and stay quiet and let Harvey take all the heat.
This is suspect. Who is this source?! She’s worried about his affect on her brand, yet the source connects him with the brand by repeatedly saying the brand name…as if they want the two ingrained together in your mind after reading this so she and her family go down with him…
I think she wants celebrities to publicly acknowledge that she, too, is a victim and they will continue to support her and wear her dresses.
Now that the New Yorker story is out, Georgina can stop worrying about her fashion biz. It’s over. She needs to get away from HW ASAP.
I live with a bi-polar alcoholic. We have nice moments.. then moments where is a monster. I am having a tough time leaving. A profesionalbit still having trouble getting out safely. I have a plan to leave in place that will take till end of the year to execute. Not as cut and dry.
Just for consideration, perhaps it is not that easy for her to leave for a muriad of reasons. Maybe he has threatened her. We truely dont know what goes on behind closed doors. She ciuld very well be a victim and be an opportunist etc. Perhaps he threatened to take her kid away or ruin her reputation etc of she ever left. Who knows why she married him. Perhap he had something on her or it was an arranged deal brokered for a business deal with other people involved. This stuff happens all the time in Hollywood. Women are bought and sold there. Their families or friend sometimes will allow it for gain or protection from a scandal.
Nothing is cut and dry as it seems. Other things to consider. She is a victim as well.
Unicorn, yes, I was wondering this as well. Maybe he is abusive and she feels trapped.
The feel I got from this article is that she is either incredibly clueless and receiving terrible PR advice, or she feels she can’t separate from him for financial or psychological reasons.
The only good PR move on her part would have been to have divorce papers served the day this story dropped, and to release a statement emphasizing her role as a mother, saying that her priorities at the moment are for her children. (Similar to the Mooches wife and Angelina Jolie).
Whoever she is taking advice from, it is really bad, because nothing is going to save her company or husband now.
He must be an absolute pig to live with, so I am keeping an open mknd about this, because it may come out later that he was absuvie to her and she felt trapped.
If I had to guess, she signed a pretty ironclad pre-nup, and she knows the life she’ll have to lead if she divorces him will be very different from the life she leads with him. So I wouldn’t be surprised if she really didn’t want to give up the life she has now. And let’s be real here. She’s NOT a great designer. If it wasn’t for her husband forcing the actresses in his films to wear her designs, would anyone choose to wear them?? We can all hope she’d have enough self-respect to divorce him regardless of the money, but come on. Does anyone doubt that’s the entire reason she married him?? Money and connections.
What kind of life will she have with him now? He is a pariah.
The key is in that quote, “She truly loves her life.” Maybe they should put a “d” instead of an “s.”
She loved being the wife of the most powerful man in Hollywood. She loved him pulling strings to make people like Rachel Zoe push Marchesa on their A-list clients. She loved being showcased on Project Runway as a high end designer. She loved the lifestyle Harvey gave her.
Yes that line came out of nowhere. I remember one Oscars all the actresses were saying they were wearing Marchesa and I was like ?!?!? Then I read the People article and it all made sense! Sorry you don’t need a man to make you successful.
Clearly she DID need a man to make her successful. So that’s the story here.
She wouldnt have had a career like that without his influence. She cant think its unfair now that she gets to deal with a part of the fallout but thought it was all okay while she made bank with his power. And she 100% knew about his behaviour. (That doesnt mean she was aware of every single case but you dont have to know about everything he did to distance yourself) Why on earth would she marry him anyway if not for his connections? For his washboard abs? His kind nature? His mild temper? His beautiful eyes?
Good riddance.
Yes, yes, yes, and AMEN.
He’s done and so is she.
Yep. Not feeling bad for her here
yep, she’s going to have sophie’s choice on her hands. which thing to save, the fashion label or the marriage? Because if she stays married, her label will go under. No one is going to wear marchesa because of its association with jerking off into a plant. If she wants her label to stand a chance, she needs to run for the hills while the running is good. every day she stays, her label becomes synonymous with fat hairy dude wanting you to watch him shower–not a feeling you want to think about while wearing couture.
Nobody’s going to wear Marchesa because Marchesa is what happens when you give a twelve year old girl a gift card to Michael’s and a glue gun and let them go wild. That stuff is tacky craftsy FUGLY 95% of the time. She is only successful because her man bullied his actresses into wearing it just like he bullied them into whatever else. GAME OVER.
Couldn’t agree more. Marchesa is a vanity project, pure and simple, backed by his money and connections. Terrible “designs.”
This! You can spot a Marchesa on the red carpet a mile away. Everything looks like either an old school Eastern bloc figure skating costume or a bird carcass.
HAHAH Good description!
You described it perfectly. My daughter was asking me the other day why everyone ragged on Marchesa. I showed her two photos: one was a Marchesa tulle skirted dress and the other was a tulle Oscar de la Renta. The Marchesa was a hot mess, almost like someone grabbed a bunch of tulle and sewed it to a waist. No thought, construction, nothing – a kid in elementary school could have put that together for a Halloween costume.
The Oscar de la Renta was a detailed work of art.
Yes! Marchesa will soon be history, and I for one will not be sorry to see it go. Dreadful, cringeworthy designs.
I don’t really pay attention to fashion, high or otherwise, and just wear what I like and find comfortable. I had to look up this Marchesa brand. I mean, I had heard the name, but never took any notice, so my curiosity was piqued by the comments on this brand. The designs are really daggy, reminding me of dresses the wives of “suddenly successful Italian businessmen” wore to the many engagements, weddings, christenings, 21sts etc., I’ve attended in that (my) community… My advice to GC is to grab whatever dignity she’s got left, get out, look after the children and hope his stink doesn’t follow her.
Um have you see Marchesa? If it weren’t for the Weinstein connection there is no way anyone would wear the stuff. She, and the line, need him more than he needs her.
Honestly. Her label, her money, her whole business, those are things she may eventually be able to recover. I hope she can get out of it.
Why does she deserve even a modicum of success? I hope karma is a bitch and wears Elie Saab.
Perfect! I’m stealing! 😂
lol Good one.
Don’t feel sorry for her at all! She was ok with him being the person he is as long as she got what she wanted. She’s going to wait and see how bad the fallout is before she decides what she’s going to do. She made her bed, now she can lie in it. Not an ounce of sympathy for her or Melania. Same situation with Melania. She knows what trump is, doesn’t care as long as she gets what she wants.
Melania came from a second world country and had a working class upbringing under an oppressive regime. Georgina came from millions in a country where the uppercrust thinks the world of itself. Honestly I’d say that Melania is the more sympathetic party of the two.
We’re still using terms like second/third world country?
Mooch, is that you?
@Clare. Yeah ‘we’ are. Some places are better off than others. To deny this is to disrespect those who walk a mile, carrying a broken plastic bucket, for a drop of clean water. ‘We’ label and discern Countries by infrastructure, safety, Human rights violations etc so as to appropriately proportion aid and attention.
Changing the language does not change the level of need, or the devastating effects which occur when we don’t pay attention.
Developing nations indicates an understanding of the fact that ordinal terms like first, second, third etc implies value, which is arrogant and demeaning. Words do matter. No one is ignoring the fact that under resourced and under privileged nations exist. Besides, I could have sworn Melania, a bright, hardworking successful woman/entrepreneur in her own right, graduated from a top university. Aren’t we still sticking to that story?
No we are not because Melania did not graduate from any university.
@Enough
I disagree with the notion that assigning value is, in and of itself demeaning and arrogant. Some things are better than others. To be a mammal, and to survive, you need clean water. At least every three days, if not every day. It is ‘better’ to have clean water than to not have clean water. That is a value judgement. Better. It is worse to die of thirst. Or dysentery. Worse. It is better to live in a place that has access to these necessities. Better.
Because I value life over death.
That does not make me arrogant. It makes me like nearly every person on this world that also values life over death.
You can use language in an attempt to hide the value judgements you have made. But that does not mean they have not been made. Or not being made, or that there is not a necessity to do so. Continually and with accuracy. You had better hope you value the correct things. Or you will not survive long in this world. Better. Survive.
I’m betting on a spilt.
Marchesa is done for the foreseeable future and likely permanently. If I’m a manager/agent/publicist/hanger-on I’ve already told my star to burn every piece of Marchesa they own. The implication for a starlet wearing Marchesa now is…well you know what it is. The brand is now toxic.
Agreed. And aside from business, she needs to just get away from him. I don’t believe in holding wives responsible for their husband’s sins. She wasn’t the one who harassed and abused those women. But she needs to get out now.
No, she was the one who decided to marry and procreate with a monster in exchange for Hollywood connections that would make her talentless self successful. I guess her rich toity English family taught her well.
She is not responsible for his actions but she is responsible for her own. She willingly stayed married to a vile abuser and raised children with him. She willingly profited from the abuse of others while providing the abuser with familial support and legitimizing his veneer of social and professional credibility.
Oh, I didn’t think about that! Good point
Yeah, I don’t see how staying with him benefits her personally or professionally.
In a few weeks, bag ladies in LA are going to be wearing the Marquesa that has been purged from closets all over town.
That’s really interesting. Especially that this is happening so quickly.
I can’t imagine MArchesa will ever recover from this.
It’s not like Marchesa dresses are super sought after in the fashion industry, they will support Geurlain and others, but not this. She’s not talented enough for them to forgive her husbands transgressions, and they way he used her label has created this inextricable link, Marchesa = got there through casting couch.
And its not even a big loss. Sometimes great artists do horrible stuff but this really is a mediocore woman having success because she made a deal with the devil. At the of the day no one will miss Marchesa.
And lets not forget she will be able to live a luxurious lifestyle until she dies of old age. Its not like a poor woman unfairly losing her job.
I am not sure she will lose her job.
She likely won’t be able to carry on as they did before.
But if she is clever she could temporarily put down Marchesa. Or lie low. And then rise again. Perhaps under a different label name. Perhaps with some talented designers attached. Because whatever happens to Harvey – it is a matter of fact that he still owns part of the Weinstein Company and that is a very powerful player in Hollywood. Even if he isn’t the boss any more. Still owns it. Still family connections.
And I am not sure how many Hollywood people will dump him. A lot of actors/actresses came forward lately. But what about producers and directors and so on? Production companies. All those technical support stuff whatever companies?
Weinstein might have support we don’t even know about. Both the military as well as the US secret services need connections to Hollywood because they want their agendas put into movies. And now look how many military movies came out lately.
(Just look at the Epstein case. He is a pedophile/pederasst and likely raped / coerced minors into sexual activities under false pretenses = fraud. And that is just the stuff that came out. But Epstein has impeccable connections. And that resulted in very mild punishment. How much jail time did Epstein serve?)
My suspicion is that Weinstein will get burned and will lie low for a while. But sadly he will come back. There are people who are invincible. Sadly.
I should be more high minded, but good gawd, he is repulsive. From his predatory/rapist mindset, his looks, his hideous eating habits (shoving an omelet into his mouth with his bare hands), masturbating and ejaculating into a plant to demean a waitress.
She must see this side of him. She must know.
She comes from a wealthy well connected family. I just don’t understand why she would settle and marry someone like him.
I think it’s notable that the People article says that Georgina “loves her life.” Not that she loves HIM.
British aristos / upper class aren’t necessarily that “wealthy” but rather well-connected. Some of them are relatively poor but nevertheless considered to be upper-class. So how much money does Chapman really have? Starting a fashion label is expensive because you won’t make much money in the beginning. And if your label doesn’t take off then you won’t make much money at all. Which is what happened to Chapman before Harvey.
Upper class has different morals: raping “underclass” people is rarely seen as a crime among that set of people. Sad but true. They do also stick together like thieves (thick as thieves) in order to cover up the crimes of poeple from their circles. They value connections more than decency or honesty. That is why they socialise so much: they network and take care of their friendships. (1) Chapman likely has that mind-set. She was ridiculed even in Britain for her label and that means something because British fashion accepts some more “edgy” designs: cooky and eccentric and unusual … . I conclude that Weinstein was a god-sent for Chapman and she likely would be bancrupt without him. He brought in capital and connections.
(1) Pierre Bourdieu: “Distinction…”
[Yep, I know it is about the french society but nevertheless once you read this you understand and “see” more about society than you ever wanted to know.]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinction_(book)
Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste (French: La Distinction) is a 1979 book by Pierre Bourdieu, based upon the author’s empirical research from 1963 until 1968. A sociological report about the state of French culture, Distinction was first published in English translation in 1984. In 1998 the International Sociological Association voted Distinction as one of the ten most important sociology books of the 20th century.
I can’t seem to get past the fact that she had sex with him – I had no idea they had children. Poor kids!
All cats are grey in the dark WINK WINK
At night, Georgina closed her eyes, saying *HOW many Oscars?*
And Harvey Sleazoid whispered back, *So SO many*
turkey baster?
Well no sh*t they’re gonna divorce.
He won’t be able to push her line anymore, she won’t be dressing starlets. He will be turning all those potted plant urges on her now. AND he’s no longer a name, he’s an embarassment.
Unless he salvages his image, she’s gone.
I mean, there’s absolutely no reason to stay at this point, not except love. And did anyone ever feel this was a ‘love match’?
If only the pot plant could speak…………
…it would be making retching noises. Where’s a Venus Flytrap plant when you need it?
Where’s Audry II when you need her.
I don’t feel bad for her because I think she knew what Harvey was up to and didn’t care as long as she didn’t have to deal with him. But I think splitting from him gives her the only chance she has to save her business. I still think it will be difficult for Marchesa to weather the storm, but I think the small chance she has is only possible with a divorce.
Marchesa is probably done. If she divorces him she might be able to do something else in fashion, if that’s what she wants. I don’t see any way she gets sympathy or support for herself or a business if she stays with him.
There is so much information coming out at once in regards to HW, that it’s tough to even know where to start commenting. I am just glad he is finally being called out for this abusive pig that he is and that women are being brave enough to stand up and call him out. I also have a feeling that the abuse doesn’t end with women.
Poor Georgina “close your eyes and think of Cannes” Chapman.
If she stays with him she just looks bad. She is the person closest to him and will just be seen as complicit. I get some couples stay together after cheating scandals but not sure any relationship could survive damage this rampant and wide spread. Her career will forever be tainted, nobody will wear her designs, and she’ll become persona non grata in the fashion world. Not going to blame her for enjoying the lavish lifestyle Harvey provided and the boost she got to her fashion label. Any of us would enjoy that (if the guy wasn’t Harvey). However by the sound of this article it sounds like she was aware of Harvey’s behavior but married him anyway. Ok that was her choice. Who is she mad at, the New York Times? The women coming forward about the way they were grossly mistreated by her husband’s sexual misconduct? Maybe Bob for leaking everything. But she only has her husband to blame. I get she’s mad that the idyllic life she knew is now over. But it’s not just her overrated fashion label she has to think of, she has children too.
She had children when she knew what her husband was up to.
If she doesn’t fill for divorce this instant she’s following him straight down that drain. She might be able to salvage something with the right story and an immediate separation. That she married him primarily for his money and connections is undeniable. That she heard rumors is undeniable. If she threw up her hands immediately claiming to not have known the depths of his depravity she might be able to salvage something. Or (doubtfully) she convincingly claimed to be another victim of his abuse and legal clout and has wanted out before now. If she stays holed up with him in a hotel she and her fashion line are solidly doomed. If I was her PR advisor that’d be my take anyway.
mine too. depsite everyone saying how awful her designs are, that’s a matter of debate. I personally enjoy much of the aesthetic and I find other designers much much more offensively ugly, like Rodarte or even the schmatta LV is forcing people to wear these days. if she divorces him in the next 10 min, she could salvage something.
Her fashion line is doomed. Her brand is always brought up in the context of Harvey forcing actresses working on his projects to wear them. Never has Chapman been hailed as a great designer. More like a laughing stock. Every time they rip into a crap design from an Oscar or any high profile event, it ends with ‘oh right it’s because it’s Marchesa’. The line was always on life support, it could have never been sustained without Harvey giving her customers and that still didn’t protect it from scrutiny time and time again. Her brand also never had a peak that people can be nostalgic about, it’s been bad from start until now.
Even Stella MC was able to overcome nepotism and she’s not great either BUT she’s loved in the Hollywood circles and has a tight A-list friend circle that have nothing to do with her father’s name and fame. People like Stella and want to hang with her. Even Madonna keeps clinging to Stella after she insulted a design.
Who and what does Chapman have? Nobody. When your husband is a predator, methinks it’s hard to have girlfriends as you never know you might bump into THAT when you’re trying to relax at their home. Women who turn a blind eye (see also Cosby’s wife) are just as dangerous because they’ll never have your back and they won’t protect you. The article says it all, she’s trying to pretend this happened before she got married to him…SureJan.gif….and is more concerned about her line. She deservedly will have to eat sh- too. Her brand is sub par and her reputation is so toxic, nobody is going to want to be friends with her or support her. The only ones who do, e.g. Donna Karan, are only confirming how terrible she and her friends are! She is stuck and it’s her own fault.
ETA: Google ‘Stella Mc friends’ and do the same with Chapman. Body language is clear, I think Chapman is too reserved/cold to carve out a brand for herself. She’s just not likable. She should’ve used all these years to build a brand separate from her husband.
Yup. In this situation, ‘”Think of the children! ” really has to be the guide.
Couldn’t believe she married him with the reputation he had, and now hearing she is so desperate to keep her business afloat, it just confirms that all she cared about was the money. So gross.
I worked at a major film company in early to mid 2000s and everyone knew he was coercive and/or a pig. There are way more stories, not everyone wants to tell them.
No actress will be caught dead in her designs. They are god awful and her husband can’t bully anybody to do shit anymore.
The Marchesa line going away may be the lone bright spot in all this.
I feel sorry for their children. I do not feel sorry for her. She knew who and what he was, and did nothing, as long as it benefited her.
Marchesa is her baby? Please, she has two childeren she is the mother to and she needs to think what kind of values her lifestyle she is so in love with teaches her kids. She has a daughter for God’s sake…. what if anyone would ever do that to her daughter? But obviouslly she knew and still chose her lifestyle over decency. So I can understand that she is conflicted now and simply does not know what move she wants to do next
I believe she’ll get out. She’ll want to avoid the taint that is moving like the eye of the storm in her direction. If all she cares about is her own lifestyle (and I believe that) she will not walk, not run, but fly away from this clusterfuck that is her husband. It makes total sense and I believe this will happen.
Even prior to all of this coming out, I have always looked at him as a creepy guy. You know the guy, ladies. We all know ‘the guy’.
I worry about their kids. Seriously, the damage this may do to them will be incalculable. They’ll be teased and bullied at school, they’ll read about their father and the despicable acts he committed, they’ll wonder why on earth their mother was with a monster like that. I don’t give a rodent’s posterior about what happens to Georgina’s effing fashion line, I think she should just stop beating a dead horse, take the kids and go far, far away as soon as possible.
I’m pretty sure Ms Chapman was with Weinstein for the life and career it would give her, not out of love. I’m pretty sure she knew her marriage was wiiiiide open, and it did not bother her because that was part of the transaction.
So, yeah. Her life just blew up; of course she’s mad, because that life is the reason she was with him.
I don’t have a problem with her setting up her life exactly how she pleased, mind you, as long as she wasn’t enabling that predator.
If she is yet another victim then this is the time for her to leave. He is on egg shells right now and can’t do anything to her. All I can say is take the kids and run.
After today’s revelations, how can she stay?
The entire world now knows that she is married to a serial predator and rapist who did this for 30+yrs.
I think she is gonna make her pre-nup timing–not unless they had a no cheating clause.
She will wait until her contract is fulfilled and keep a low profile, while sweeping in alot of his money to revamp her fashion line.
She’s just announced she’s leaving him.
Just saw that. I’m glad for the sake of the kids.
You marry for money, you wind up paying for it.
WyoGirl – truer words never spoken…
To repurpose a quip Dennis Miller made about the Clintons, “their marriage couldn’t be more about convenience if they had a Slim Jim dispenser next to the bed.”
Kaiser writing like this offers hope and a lifeline to people who feel as you do about this pig. I am glad my daughter was not his intern.
Keep your bright light shining and focused on this villany and his evident disgust and contempt for women. He and “Bigly “ would be natural allies.
Shame on you Harvey. You are a narcissist and an MCP. Sympathies to your wife— has she been tested for STDs?
Ugh