Marchesa kicks off revival in Barcelona
Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig’s fashion brand has chosen Spain to begin its road to redemption. After disappearing from the red carpet in the fall of 2017 following a wave of sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein, Chapman’s ex-husband, the brand is returning to the spotlight. The comeback has taken the form of a fashion show to present the Marchesa Bridal Couture collection, held during the 2019 edition of Valmont Barcelona Bridal Week.
In Barcelona’s Les Corts district, the Royal Palace of Pedralbes, which was once the residence of the Royal Family and now hosts the Ceramics Museum and the Textile and Clothing Museum, was the venue selected for Marchesa’s first bridal show in Europe, taking place on Wednesday 24 april in the evening. The event showcased the label’s wedding dresses and ready-to-wear for Spring Summer 2020 in the palace gardens in a space that no stranger to weddings - Infanta Cristina of Spain and Iñaki Urdangarín hosted their wedding reception there in 1997.
Set to the sound of French songs, such as Polo & Pan’s Canopée and Françoise Hardy’s Le temps de l’amour, the collection inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke’s Pathways poem was presented among a sea of orchids. In true romantic style, the dresses featured flowy volumes and ethereal silhouettes with organza flowers. There were puffy sleeves, veils that looked like hoodies and lots of embellishments in the form of feathers of pearls, in a range of white, gray and violet hues. A-line wedding dresses were followed by shorter styles and gowns with an asymmetric hemline, heralding a more contemporary aesthetic.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity and the honour to unveil our creations in a very intimate way at the Barcelona Bridal Night,” commented the designers before the show. The front-row counted with the presence of Spanish celebrities including actresses Juana Acosta and Irene Montalà, designer Juan Avellaneda, socialite Mar Flores and influencer Gigi Vives.
Founded in 2004, Marchesa shot to prominence by dressing A-list celebrities in red carpet events. But many of these celebrities turned their backs on the brand following the Me Too scandal. Now, the label founded by the two British designers is moving away from its Weinstein-stained past and focusing on the European market instead. This strategy wa already rolled out last winter by dressing several Spanish actresses in the Goya Awards. Its presence at VBBFW, a leading event in the bridal sector, is set to start a new chapter in Marchesa’s history, one that is likely to feature less Hollywood glamour and more brides.
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