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According to fashion history The 1973 “Battle of Versailles”—a showdown between a handful of American designers and their European counterparts—has stood the test of time.
Attendees Pat Cleveland, Beatan Hardison and Chris Royer dished out some juicy details about that massive fashion event in a discussion moderated by The Washington Post’s Robin Givhan on Wednesday. Organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the event doubled as a commemoration of the Battle of Versailles gallery curated by Tom Ford, now on display in “In America: An Anthology of Fashion.” .
Explaining how the show at the Palace of Versailles came to be, Givhan asked his advertising friend Eleanor Lambert how to raise some money in an effort to support French institutions, and she suggested that they hire five major fashion designers on five Americans—all of whom became her clients. Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Emmanuelle Ungaro, Hubert de Givenchy and Christian Dior’s Marc Bohan clashed with Bill Blass, Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Anne Klein and Stephen Burroughs. The Americans used pre-recorded music, a spare set and “thin, light and uncluttered” clothes and models, “driven by uniqueness and personality,” Givhan said. “What started as an international party and public promotion soon turned into a media war, and the Americans won that war. They won over the people and their colleagues.
Hardison, who was Burroughs’ model and collaborator at the time, recalls how the models inspired fashion designers and were muses. She said there was also diversity with models and designers from different backgrounds.
Speaking to Cleveland about her signature runway style, Givhan said, “Nobody’s going to spin and flirt and let their clothes fly the way you can.” “It was one thing not to fall off that stage with my eyes lit up,” Cleveland says. I couldn’t even see the audience and was spinning until I reached the edge of the stage. I almost fell. People said ‘Ahhhh’ as they held their breath.
Citing the influence of great actresses such as Eartha Keith, Josephine Baker (whose aunt taught her Sunday school), and Isadora Duncan, Cleveland emphasizes how women at the time emphasized the freedom and role model. “We don’t wear underwear under our clothes long ago in the 50s. So we had bodily freedom. My style has that freedom charm,” she says. “We worked hard to achieve this [freedom] For hundreds of years. I am mixed race. I don’t know what I am. I am kind of all of these things and I try to represent what that beautiful feeling is. [being] At the moment in clothes”.
As “Halstonette,” a model house and museum, Royer described the constant workload of the designer and his team working until 2 or 3 a.m. to perfect the costumes. As Royer said, “Perfectionist” without a doubt, Halston prepared Liza Minnelli for the event and wanted not only his team but also other teams to succeed, because this represents American fashion. “He also represented the American-made equivalent of French couture. He wanted to define American fashion and how to respect and understand it. That was one of the pressures at the time.”
The talk didn’t just outline the high points though – many of the event’s challenges were also discussed. Asked if the incident was devastating — given the lack of toilet paper, the building’s frigid temperatures and some chaos — Hardison said, “It was just a shock.” I don’t think it’s fair to say it was that awful… it was challenging. That’s for sure. We had a lot of practice,” he said.
Although the Americans felt that they were not well taken care of by the hosts, despite their lack of competitiveness, they eventually came together and defeated the Europeans. According to Cleveland, the models shared a greater sense of camaraderie. “We were like sisters in love. We are planning a trip to Paris. We drank champagne in the plane. When we got off that plane, Billy Blair kissed the ground. Then we got in that bus and they took us to the hotel. We all hung out together like school kids – the two of us in a queen size bed… it was neat. We had all those products and we carried a lot of clothes in the belly of the plane. Just overloaded. We were just in showbiz. All girls want to dance. We did our rehearsal with Kay Thompson in New York. She was a ‘funny face’, Eloise on the Plaza, Liza Minnelli’s stepmother and Judy Garland’s teacher. We were in showbiz so the show must go on and we did. We went into that rainbow and did a tap dance. It was so much fun together. “
Givhan says models’ responsibilities include learning choreography and selling clothes properly, which are unstructured and require living. Royer agreed that American models moved more fluidly than European ones, with smaller cards marked with numbers moving better. Understand how American designers want to reflect what they wear. “The clothes made the models. If you saw how Pat or Bethan walked down the runway, you’d be like, ‘Wow!’ That was from the heart…Many American models wanted to do a very complete presentation, so they were very interested in working with their designers. This was a very important distinction for the French,” Royer said.
As post-Versailles European design houses were more enthusiastic about diversity and encouraged models to show more individuality on the catwalk, Cleveland said Italy was the first country to respond by hiring black models to do runway shows, followed by Guinci’s cabinet of six in-house black models. “When black girls were fighting and hating slavery and everything that happened, this beauty bloomed like flowers that bloom every 25 years or so. We were blooming. They say a man’s character is like the perfume of his spirit.
Earlier in the show, Hardison made the point, but Givenchy got some pushback for its diversity efforts.
Regarding Halston’s lasting influence, Royer “From the beginning in 1972, the designer how he wanted his cabinet to be one of girls with many personalities and different walks, but relaxed, fluid and hip,” she said. “The dresses are made to feel good. After you feel good in them, they start to become the whole picture. If it’s on you and you feel good, you instantly feel great.
Fast forward to today, Givhan asked the panelists which designers they would pick for Team America if the Battle of Versailles were to happen today. Hardison names Ralph Rucci, Christopher John Rogers, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta’s team (Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia) and Gabriela Hearst. Royer said she and Hardison were of the same mindset and struggled to think of Tom Ford as well as Hearst and many other female designers.
Givhan asked what he had to say about the industry, but Hardison emphasized how it’s always been a women’s business. “They were the best female designers forever. I always say to some young girls [designing]’No matter what it looks like. It is still our business and do not relinquish power. [But] You are right about that Robin; When you have to think a lot [leading female designers today]. Pauline Trigère, Anne Klein, Liz Claiborne – you name it. Not so. [now]” Hardison added.
As for her American Dream Team, Cleveland has chosen the designers she wears to events — Ralph Rucci, Naeem Khan, Anna Sui, Zac Posen, Tom Ford and Ken Downing, who now owns the Halston team. I love them. I wear them when I sing. I wear them when I go to events. We talk on the phone. It’s so wonderful. and mr. [Stephen] Barrows can come back with these powdery pieces that I still wear. So I’ll be there y’all – party time.
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