• 04/06/2022
• By binternet
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The battle of Versailles: the night that American and French creators faced each other<

November 28, 1973. At Versailles, the thermometer is dangerously approaching 0 degrees. In the illustrious French castle, agitation reigns. In every corner of the old royal palace, men and women run from right to left, taking a discreet look at their watch. Agile hands spread out meters of tissue, cut directly into the material and gently dress the bodies of mannequins. Everywhere, storage bags seem to hide precious clothing, watched close or far by anxious eyes. In a few hours, these little hands will unveil the fruit of their work in one of the most cult fashion moments in history: the battle of Versailles.

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A contest to save Versailles

Residence of the kings of France from 1682 to 1789, in November 1973, the castle of Versailles did not look good. More than 63,000 square metres are in need of renovation, but there is a lack of funds. Gerald Van der Kemp, the chief curator, is always looking for sponsors who are willing to provide financial support. The word spread to the other side of the Atlantic. Having heard about the problem, Eleanor Lambert, founder of fashion Week in New York and Met Gala, then imagines an evening that could serve her interests and those of Gerald Van der Kemp. This influential press officer is tired of seeing American designers downgraded to French fashion designers. She has close ties with a new generation of promising designers who want to prove that creativity is there in the United States as well. She proposes to the curator the following idea: to organize a gigantic parade at Versailles Castle, during which American and French fashion stars will face each other. The event would take the form of an Anglo-Saxon charity to raise funds to maintain the premises. The proposal was accepted, and a date was set: 28 November 1973.

Each country selects five creators to represent them. French side: Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro, Pierre Cardin and Marc Bohan, artistic director of Christian Dior. American side: Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein, Stephen Burrows and Halston. For the French, the fight was won in advance. After all, France is the country of Haute Couture. But they forget that the United States is at the origin of ready-to-wear and that in this discipline, they are as well, if not better, than they are. The latter arrive with 36 models, of which about 10 are black. A small revolution in the very white middle of Parisian fashion. The situation on the ground leaves something to be desired. There is no heating, a shortage of toilet paper and a lack of food. According to the American team, the French are privileged during rehearsals, forcing them to train at night.

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A historic evening

On that day, more than 700 prestigious guests took over the old palace. Among them are Princess Grace Kelly, actress Elizabeth Taylor and painter Andy Warhol. It is in the royal opera of the castle that the contest takes place. The French launch the event by playing on the world of fairy tales, put forward no sumptuous scenery: a pumpkin for Dior, a rocket for Carin and a rhinoceros for Ungaro. Everything is very formal, calculated to the nearest millimetre. On stage, Josephine Baker does the show in a fleshy combination embroidered with glittering crystals. The promise makes a dream, but the performance of the five designers leaves the guests marble: with its lengths and its sophistication pushed to the extreme, it offers a vision of fashion very old games. A proposal in contrast to the thirty minutes of party proposed by the American team in the second half of the evening. Far from the rigidity of the first part, the mannequins dance, leaving the moving pieces to see. The clothes are aerial, in line with the aspirations of freedom and lightness of the time. Anne Klein, whom the French despise for her lines imagined for the active woman, seduces with an ethnic and sexy collection inspired by Africa. Stephen Burrows dares the bright colors and tightens him, Oscar de la Renta scrolls on pieces of Barry White and Halston unveils sensual dresses, revealing a breast or breast hidden by a simple fan. Liza Minelli, just oscarised for her role in "cabaret", closes the sequence with wild dance steps, pirouettes and a communicative energy that will raise the audience, under the spell. The French splendour is forgotten, overshadowed by the American good mood.

That night, the course of fashion history changed forever. After proving that they could attack the most illustrious French designers, American designers are finally taken seriously. This is the beginning of the internationalization of the sector, but also the door to more diversity in model castings. Haute couture, previously regarded as the only credible fashion form, must now make room for ready-to-wear, which revolutionized the industry in the 1970s. As for the financial aspect of the event, it will raise more than 236,000 euros for the restoration of the castle of Versailles.