Harvey Weinstein allegedly threatened to ruin the careers of several high profile Hollywood actresses if they didn’t wear his wife’s designs.
Weinstein’s wife Georgina Chapman, who announced earlier this week she is leaving the Hollywood producer, is the designer behind the label Marchesa. It’s alleged Weinstein used his considerable power and influence to pressure the stars into wearing Marchesa dresses to red carpet events.
According to a LA publicist who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, Weinstein told Desperate Housewives’ Felicity Huffman he would stop financially supporting the promotion of Transamerica, her 2005 Oscar-nominated drama, if Huffman didn’t wear his wife’s designs to several red carpet events.
“He was the mastermind behind Marchesa — orchestrating deals and using his influence in terms of the celebrity connections for her on behalf of the brand,” the publicist said.
Huffman then confirmed the allegations to Too Fab at the Eva Longoria Foundation Gala in LA on Thursday night.
“Yeah, it’s true,” she told the publication.
The same LA publicist told The Hollywood Reporter Weinstein also pressured Sienna Miller, who stared in Factory Girl in 2006, to wear one of his wife’s designs to the Golden Globes.
When the publicist attempted to show Miller dresses from different designers, the actress said Weinstein “would be very upset if she didn’t wear Marchesa”.
According to another LA publicist, Chapman allegedly knew about Weinstein’s behaviour.
“They both benefited from the relationship, but she certainly knew about his bad behaviour,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
Chapman, 41, told PEOPLE she was leaving 65-year-old Weinstein earlier this week.
“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,” said in a statement to PEOPLE.
According to PEOPLE, Marchesa has not been as visible on the red carpet in recent years as more “big-name luxury brands have gotten into the red-carpet dressing game, offering lucrative contracts to stars to wear their gowns”.
Only time will tell how the Weinstein allegations will affect the already floundering brand.
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Top Comments
I liked her article and was not offended at all. Some key paragraphs in the full article put it in perspective.
It is not a thing all victim blaiming but is encouraging men and women not to Ben complicit with objectification. She talks about great female directors telling stories about women that are not one dementional and don’t value women only because they are beautiful.
She encourages women to stand up against being only seen as beautiful with nothing else.
When we objectify ourselves, turn a blind eye to exploitation or not stand up and tell our own stories we are allowing the culture to continue.
I guess the ex-wife will claim complete ignorance of this too?