I first met Harvey Weinstein a year after he purchased Halston, while he was wandering around an after-party for another clothing line: his wife, Georgina Chapman's brand, Marchesa.
This isn't his first excursion into fashion. He is the well-known
executive producer for Project Runway, which made a move from Bravo to
Lifetime. So when Weinstein and private equity firm Hilco Consumer Capital purchased the
brand from for about $25 million from Neema Clothing in March 2007, according to the Wall Street Journal, it seemed logical, even prescient.
He became involved in the deal upon the
recommendation of his friend, Tamara Mellon, the president of Jimmy
Choo, another fashion monolith. The past months of ownership haven't
garnered stellar returns on the bet, however. It could be the worsening
economy, or perhaps Halston, the once ubiquitous brand of Studio 54-era starlets, needs some time to mature in the new millenium.
The night I met Weinstein, I asked about his investments in Marchesa, and he said that he heard the designer was "cute." If this is the line of logic, then it could be as good as any. Or not.
Only time will tell.
