Georgina Chapman dishes on Marchesa's cocktail confections.
Pagination
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After the late fashion icon Isabella Blow wore the first Marchesa dress ever made to Paris Fashion Week in 2004, Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig knew that their designs had potential. “That was really the start of us,” says Chapman, who credits Blow with helping craft Marchesa into a brand. Yet the two friends, who met at London’s Chelsea College of Art & Design when they were just 17, always knew that they’d one day create a fashion line together. “It wasn’t a question of whether we would or wouldn’t; it was really just finding the timing,” says Chapman, who worked as a costume designer before switching her focus to ethereal eveningwear. “I think with Marchesa, you can see a lot of the costume inspiration,” she says of their show-stopping draped silk, shredded tulle and velvet gowns, which are often lavishly embellished with strategically placed embroidery, crystals and feathers. “I always found I liked taking the idea of a character and translating that into a garment.”
It’s no surprise, then, that in just seven years, the brand has built a loyal following with Hollywood’s top actresses—virtually every female A-list star has sashayed down the red carpet in Marchesa—as well as society women who like to make a statement. Toronto’s Suzanne Rogers, who confesses she owns “quite a few Marchesa dresses,” is so smitten with the brand that she invited the duo to Toronto to headline a gala fashion show and black-tie dinner on April 5 called “Suzanne Rogers Presents Marchesa.” The event is a fundraiser for the Herbie Fund, which provides financial support for children from around the world to undergo surgery at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. “The fashion show will be unbelievable,” says Rogers. “The dresses are couture-like in their construction, so they are breathtaking to see in person.” So, what will Rogers be wearing? “The ladies are doing something spectacular just for me. I’m pretty excited!”
Want to know what inspires Georgina Chapman? Check out our Q&A with the designer on the next page...
