It was 2020 the last time Georgina Chapman showed her Marchesa collection to the press. “We got comfortable during Covid,” she laughed, explaining the brand’s absence from the fashion cycle. Chapman wasn’t idle, however. She’s recently added Marchesa Rosa, a daywear collection with a bohemian spirit to her portfolio; it’s been designed to complement the Marchesa Notte evening wear, which offers more approachably priced versions of the occasion dresses that are the foundation of the main line.
In those early months of the pandemic, Chapman had scaled back Marchesa’s signature opulence; she noted that there wasn’t a single ball gown in the spring 2021 offering. For pre-fall 2024, a strapless red silk faille dress with feathered edges and draping at the shoulder that evokes a rose, in the manner of Marchesa collections of old, is the star, with supporting roles played by ornately beaded and embroidered tulle columns, often styled with matching capelets, and fluid goddess gowns with brass chain embellishing the bodice.
At the Golden Globes last night many of the dresses featured illusion netting or sheer lace elements. This is a Marchesa sweet spot. The lookbook opens with a “naked dress” with cascades of flapper-like seed pearl fringe and closes with a long black number whose “nude” back features scrolling gold sequin and crystal embroideries. Maybe we’ll see one or both of them at the Emmy Awards this weekend.
