The Battle Of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled Into The Spotlight And Made History

"You know that cliche about history “coming alive”? Well, in the hands of Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion critic Robin Givhan, it does. On a chilly November night back in 1973, five American designers went toe-to-toe and dress-to-dress with five French designers in one legendary fashion show. It was seemingly a fundraiser for the restoration of the Palace of Versailles, but lift the hemline just a smidge and you’ll see that there was so much more at play — race, gender, the new world pushing up against the old. If you’re tempted to dismiss this as simply fashion history — don’t."