The Battle of Versailles
Published by Flatiron Books
“Expertly captures the players and the scene of a turning point in both fashion and American culture.” —Dana Thomas, New York Times–bestselling author
Pulitzer Prize–Winning Author
On November 28, 1973, the world’s social elite gathered at the Palace of Versailles for an international fashion show. Conceived as a fund-raiser for the restoration of King Louis XIV’s palace, five top American designers faced off against five top French designers in an over-the-top runway extravaganza. A celebrity filled audience, including Princess Grace of Monaco, the Duchess of Windsor, Paloma Picasso, and Andy Warhol, were treated to an opulent performance featuring Liza Minnelli, Josephine Baker, and Rudolph Nureyev.
The Americans at the Battle of Versailles—Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein, Halston, and Stephen Burrows—showed their work against the five French designers considered the best in the world—Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, and Marc Bohan of Christian Dior. Plagued by in-fighting, outsized egos, shoestring budgets, and innumerable technical difficulties, the American contingent had little chance of meeting the European’s exquisite and refined standards. But against all odds, the American energy and the domination by the fearless models—ten of whom, in a groundbreaking move, were African American—sent the audience reeling. By the end of the evening, the Americans had officially taken their place on the world’s stage, prompting a major shift in the way race, gender, sexuality, and economics would be treated in fashion for decades to come.
Fashion journalist Robin Givhan’s The Battle of Versailles is a sharp, engaging cultural history—an intimate examination of a single moment about how the world of fashion as we know it came to be.
Pulitzer Prize–Winning Author
On November 28, 1973, the world’s social elite gathered at the Palace of Versailles for an international fashion show. Conceived as a fund-raiser for the restoration of King Louis XIV’s palace, five top American designers faced off against five top French designers in an over-the-top runway extravaganza. A celebrity filled audience, including Princess Grace of Monaco, the Duchess of Windsor, Paloma Picasso, and Andy Warhol, were treated to an opulent performance featuring Liza Minnelli, Josephine Baker, and Rudolph Nureyev.
The Americans at the Battle of Versailles—Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein, Halston, and Stephen Burrows—showed their work against the five French designers considered the best in the world—Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, and Marc Bohan of Christian Dior. Plagued by in-fighting, outsized egos, shoestring budgets, and innumerable technical difficulties, the American contingent had little chance of meeting the European’s exquisite and refined standards. But against all odds, the American energy and the domination by the fearless models—ten of whom, in a groundbreaking move, were African American—sent the audience reeling. By the end of the evening, the Americans had officially taken their place on the world’s stage, prompting a major shift in the way race, gender, sexuality, and economics would be treated in fashion for decades to come.
Fashion journalist Robin Givhan’s The Battle of Versailles is a sharp, engaging cultural history—an intimate examination of a single moment about how the world of fashion as we know it came to be.
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