The celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the “Battle of Versailles”, which took place in Paris in 1973, have begun. At this historic event, French designers Yves Saint Laurent, Emmanuel Ungaro, Pierre Cardin, Marc Bohan and Hubert de Givenchy competed against the American contingent of Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, Halston, Bill Blass and Anne Klein, whose young assistant was also there Ponytail, Donna Karan, also walked around the massive 2,300-room former royal residence and helped prepare for the fashion shows. Much will be written in the coming weeks about this most famous catwalk showdown, which took place on November 28th and was originally intended to raise money for the restoration of the Palace of Versailles. But it went far beyond that: to improve the image of American fashion in the eyes of the world.
During Paris Fashion Week, the House of Ungaro, the With Love Halston Foundation, the Istituto Marangoni Paris, Fida and Coffee Bluff Pictures, producer of the fashion film “Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution”, came together for a multi-day event that paid homage to those Fashion revolutionaries who made fashion what it is today with a single fashion show.
What exactly happened at the “Battle of Versailles”?
On the catwalk, each of the ten designers showed eight looks in front of an audience of celebrities such as Andy Warhol, Rudolf Nureyev, Josephine Baker and Princess Grace of Monaco. The US designers used 11 black models, including Pat Cleveland and Alva Chinn, and incorporated music and dance as well as a performance of “Bonjour Paris” by Lisa Minelli into their presentation, while the French designers stuck to a traditional runway format, which, in contrast, was judged as old-fashioned and old-fashioned.
It’s best if those who were there describe the atmosphere. Pat Cleveland, who spoke on a panel at NYFW: The Talks last month titled “Battle of Versailles 50: The Making of Fashion History,” told the audience in a breathless voice, “We arrived at Versailles, a busload of girls from on Seventh Avenue, everyone chatting, just getting off the plane that was full of designer clothes. It was snowing and we all had to share a room, but we didn’t care and no one spoke French. Because it was Versailles and Fantasy and Marie Antoinette, and even though the room was cold because it wasn’t heated, they put on this music and us Seventh Avenue girls were blown away. It was all about the rhythm and the beautiful clothes.”
But the “battle” had already begun during the preparations for the show when, according to Cleveland, there was not enough time for the American designers to try on clothes. “The French contingent had so much stuff and wanted to put scenery on the stage, pumpkins and elephants, carriages and ballerinas, all rolling up on creaky wheels. We turned ourselves into pumpkins while waiting!”
The Americans, on the other hand, arrived with nothing but the clothes and a cassette that the French called “canned music.” Well, and Liza Minelli. The American presentation represented the beginning of a new era of ready-to-wear; Clothing for everyone, in contrast to the couture of French designers, which was clothing for a few. No one imagined that this event would acquire such significance in the half century that has passed since then. Stephen Burrows, the only surviving designer who took part in the show and who also spoke at the NYFW talk, said: “When you’re making history, you don’t even know you’re making history. I don’t think that would be possible today. It was before there was the bridge between Europe and America.”
Students and artists commemorate the “Battle of Versailles” at the PFW
Halston’s niece, Lesley Frowick, co-founder of the nonprofit With Love Halston, is dedicated to honoring Halston’s legacy while supporting the next generation of great American designers through scholarships. “It wasn’t just the minimalist backdrop, but also the soft, flowing and light way in which the models glided and twirled across the stage with such freedom to contemporary music. Liza Minnelli’s appearance certainly helped draw attention to this unique American style,” Frowick told FashionUnited.
Fifty years later, a group of design students from Istituto Marangoni Paris set out to capture that excitement, creativity and intoxicating energy in the Halston Battle of Versailles Design Challenge. The eight finalists were selected by Audrey Schilt, a former illustrator for Halston and Ralph Lauren, and Fida founder Patrick Morgan. They were given an insight into the Halston brand by creative director Ken Downing before presenting their modern take on Halston at an awards ceremony at the House of Ungaro. Kobi Halperin, who has been creative director of Ungaro’s women’s collections since Resort 21, was present at the ceremony.
At the same time, a group of international artists from Fida, Fashion Illustration Drawing Awards, dealt with the “Battle of Versailles” and created individual works of art. Based on a brief from Morgan, they were asked to design a poster that captured the essence of the various Parisian brands involved in the Franco-American showdown of 1973, which was exhibited at the Istituto Marangoni Paris. “Halston believed in drawing as part of the fashion system,” Morgan told FashionUnited. “The event posters designed by Fida featured illustrations by Stephen Sprouse, Halston’s illustrator for the Versailles 73 event. Fashion illustration and art is and will always be a part of the fashion partnership and vision language.”
With Love Halston Foundation awards include special grants provided by the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation, awards from Tiffany & Co., and the opportunity for artists to have their fashion illustrations published in FIDA: The Fashion Arts & Illustration Magazine . At the end of Paris Fashion Week, a special screening of the award-winning fashion documentary “Versailles ’73 (50th Anniversary Director’s Cut): American Runway Revolution” took place on September 29th at the legendary Grand Rex Cinema in Paris, followed by a conversation with the cast and the director Deborah Riley Draper.
“As the proud American that he was, Halston would certainly be pleased to know that his legacy lives on two generations later and that he and the Versailles event remain viable as they are celebrated now,” Frowick told FashionUnited.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Translated and edited by Simone Preuss.