Magic Marchesa ...

Jennifer Lopez, Anne Hathaway, Sienna Miller, Cameron Diaz: For the past few years A-list actresses have turned Marchesa into a red-carpet staple precisely because of its combination of glam factor and romantic details, from sculpted bodices to feathers to overtly lush beading. The results sometimes can be polarizing: Witness Kate Hudson’s white Golden Globes gown, which seems to be eliciting more outrage than why the heck(!) The Hangover scored Best Comedy over 500 Days of Summer. With awards-show season in full swing, now’s the time to know a little background about the label on everyone’s lips:

-- Marchesa was co-founded in 2004 by Brit BFF’s Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, who met at age 17 while attending London’s Chelsea College of Art and Design.

-- The name is based on the duo’s mutual love of Marchesa Luisa Casati, a noted Italian style icon of the early 20th century.

-- Casati (pictured below) lived an extraordinary life even by today’s standards; she was photographed by Man Ray and Cecil Beaton, wore the designs of Paul Poiret and Erte and was the direct inspiration for Cartier’s iconic Panther designs.

-- Her biography, Infinite Variety (available on Amazon.com) details Casati's notorious lifestyle, from walking her pet leopard on a diamond leash to throwing wild parties in her Venetian palazzo, complete with gilded naked servants.

-- Casati once brought a boa constrictor to the Ritz Hotel in Paris – and promptly allowed it to escape.

-- In 1999 Craig read Infinite Variety and gave Chapman a copy; they fell in love with the idea of Casati as the muse and essence of their label.

-- Chapman (aka Mrs. Harvey Weinstein) is both the designer and the face of the label (she appeared as herself on an ep of Gossip Girl last year), while Craig works more behind the scenes, focusing on textile design.

-- Marchesa scored its first red-carpet success when Cate Blanchett fell in love with only the second dress ever designed by the label.

-- The duo was sharing a tiny London studio when Neiman Marcus asked them to create a collection of 30 dresses the retailer was interested in putting in 20 stores. With six weeks to complete the collection, they moved to New York, borrowed a studio space, hired seamstresses and never looked back.

-- In 2006, the label was named one of the ten finalists of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.

With Hudson's gown drawing both admiration and ire, it seems the time-honored fashion adage has never been more accurate: There's a dress for every girl, and a girl for every dress.