The Battle of Versailles Fashion Show was a historic fashion show held on November 28, 1973, in the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

to raise money for its restoration. Created by

Eleanor Lambert Eleanor Lambert (August 10, 1903 – October 7, 2003) was an American fashion publicist. She was instrumental in increasing the international prominence of the American fashion industry and in the emergence of New York City as a major fashion c ...

and Versailles curator Gerald Van der Kemp, the show pitted French designers ( Yves Saint Laurent,

Pierre Cardin Pierre Cardin (born Pietro Costante Cardin; 2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020) was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometry, geometric shap ...

Emanuel Ungaro Emanuel Ungaro (13 February 1933 – 21 December 2019) was a French fashion designer who founded his eponymous fashion house in 1965. Early life Ungaro's Italian father fled to France from Francavilla Fontana of Brindisi province because of t ...

Marc Bohan Roger Maurice Louis Bohan (22 August 1926 – 6 September 2023) was a French fashion designer, best known for his 30-year career at the house of Dior. Early life and career Bohan was born in Paris and grew up in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, Sceaux. ...

, and

Hubert de Givenchy Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy (; 20 February 1927 – 10 March 2018) was a French fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the personal and professi ...

) against American designers (

Oscar de la Renta Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo (22 July 1932 – 20 October 2014), known professionally as Oscar de la Renta, was a Dominican fashion designer. Born in Santo Domingo, he was trained by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo. De la Renta ...

, Stephen Burrows,

Halston Roy Halston Frowick (April 23, 1932 – March 26, 1990), known mononymously as Halston, was an American fashion designer, who rose to international fame in the 1970s. Halston's minimalist, clean designs, which were often made of cashmere or ...

Bill Blass William Ralph Blass (June 22, 1922 – June 12, 2002) was an American fashion designer. He was the recipient of many fashion awards, including seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999). Ear ...

, and Anne Klein, who brought along her assistant,

Donna Karan Donna Karan ( ; born Donna Ivy Faske), also known as DK, is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels. Early life and education Karan was born to mother Helen "Queenie" Faske (née Rabinow ...

). With a guest list of 700 and notables such as

Princess Grace Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from Wedding of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and Grace Kelly, th ...

, Marie-Hélène de Rothschild,

Jacqueline de Ribes Jacqueline, Comtesse de Ribes (born 14 July 1929) is a French aristocrat, designer, fashion icon, businesswoman, producer and philanthropist. She has been a member of the International Best Dressed List since 1962. Early life Jacqueline Bo ...

Gloria Guinness Gloria Guinness (née Rubio y Alatorre; 27 August 1912 – 9 November 1980), previously Countess Gloria von Fürstenberg-Herdringen, was a Mexican socialite and a contributing editor to ''Harper's Bazaar'' from 1963 to 1971. She was photographe ...

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

and

Joséphine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

the event became legendary. Each designer was to submit eight designs for consideration. The Parisian designers viewed their competition as mere sportswear designers. The American designers used ten black models, an unprecedented number at the time. The American designers and their models stole the show, providing a youthful approach and stunning the primarily French audience. In 2011, the Huffington Post Game Changer Awards honored the African American models of Versailles with the Style Award. The models included

Pat Cleveland Patricia Cleveland (born June 23, 1950) is an American fashion model who initially attained success in the 1960s and 1970s and was one of the first African-American models within the fashion industry to achieve prominence as a runway and print m ...

Bethann Hardison Bethann Hardison is an American fashion model and activist. Hardison became one of the first high-profile black models after her appearance at the 1973 Battle of Versailles fashion show. She is also known for her activism on diversity in the fa ...

, Billie Blair, Jennifer Brice, Alva Chinn,

Norma Jean Darden Norma Jean Darden is a caterer and former model. She was recognized by the 2011 Huffington Post Game Changer Awards. The awards honored African American models featured in The Battle of Versailles Fashion Show which was a fashion show held on No ...

Charlene Dash Charlene Dash is an African-American model. Dash is one of the models recognized by the 2011 Huffington Post Game Changer Awards. The awards honored African American models featured in the Versailles fashion show entitled The Battle of Versailles ...

, Barbara Jackson, Ramona Saunders, and

Amina Warsuma Amina Warsuma (born 1953) is an American model, author, actress and film maker. Early life Warsuma was born in the Bronx, New York to a Somalis, Somali father and an American mother. Education Warsuma graduated with an ASS degree from Monroe ...

. In 2012, filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper chronicled the event in the feature documentary, ''Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution''. The film included designer Stephen Burrows, French Chambre Syndicale President Didier Grumbach, and many of the models, journalists and guest who attended the event in 1973. In 2016 another documentary "Battle at Versailles" was made by the fashion network M2M, chronicling the event. The film was narrated by

Stanley Tucci Stanley Tucci Jr. ( ; born November 11, 1960) is an American actor. Known as a character actor, he has played a wide variety of roles ranging from menacing to sophisticated, earning numerous accolades, including six Emmy Awards and two Golden ...

and featured many of the event's participants. A fictionalized version of the Battle is depicted in the television miniseries ''Halston'', which premiered May 2021 on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. On December 7, 2023, Madrid-based board game publisher Salt & Pepper Games launched a crowdfunding campaign for their card-driven tabletop game depicting the event on the Gamefound platform. In "The Battle of Versailles," two players take the role of either the American or French design teams in a fashion battle to contribute the most to the reconstruction of the Palace of Versailles.of Versailles on Gamefound.
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References

External links

* Clarissa Cruz
"The Bold and the Beautiful: 3 Women Who Paved the Way for Black Models"
''O, The Oprah Magazine'', May 2012.
"Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution".

"Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution" panel discussion
from Archive on Demand
"The Battle of Versailles: Robin Givhan in conversation with Patricia Mears"
from Archive on Demand
"A Black Model in Paris"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Versailles Fashion Show Fashion events in France African-American cultural history 1973 in France 1973 in fashion November 1973 in Europe