The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled into the Spotlight and Made History

Brilliant and unheard of to stage a fashion show at Versailles, the palace of Marie Antoinette!?The American aesthetic, put to the test, IN FRANCE, AT VERSAILLES, with black models who moved with energy and elegance, dancing in the dark! It was so exuberant, so unexpected and so DIVINE, even the French were swept away- they applauded and lauded the sweet success of American ingenuity, conceding their throne and title of the only fashion authority. Making the clothes the focus, and the beauty and grace of the black models the future- it is still a lesson in creativity and gorgeousness to be savored. MUST SEE

I loved this book and was very surprised by its depth, which went way beyond anything I expected when I ordered it. A simple recap of fashion's historic "Battle of Versailles" -- how it came to be, the challenges of putting it together and pulling it off, and the parties and chaos of the days leading up to it--would have been a great read unto itself. But thanks to Givhan's extraordinary knowledge of her subject matter and unmatched skill with a narrative, we quickly begin to understand that the event itself was but a tiny part of a much bigger story, which to my knowledge has never been told as meticulously as Givhan has told it.Essentially, the USA v France couture "battle" signaled the culmination of a series of events that led to radical and irreversible change in the world of fashion--and beyond. This change had cultural, stylistic, economic and, perhaps most unexpectedly, racial implications (which Givhan does a particularly deep and insightful dive on, particularly toward the end of the book). One of the great takeaways is that no one at the time really realized what this event would come to symbolize, most thinking of it as an especially clever but not especially significant affair, yet Givhan does the math here big time and in the process gives it and its key participants and organizers great and worthy due.And for all of the history and analysis that Givhan has managed to pack into this standard-sized book (her first, nonetheless!), it is an astonishingly breezy read. "The Battle of Versailles" is not just for fashion buffs. It's really for any reader who craves excellent nonfiction writing.

I'm a bit of a fashion outsider as I pretty much have little or no fashion sense for myself. However, I do love looking at and reading about fashion as I consider it another art form on the same level as painting, sculpture, etc. I particularly enjoy the history of fashion and this book really delivers on that front. The book deals with one particular chapter in fashion which was a fashion show held in Paris in 1973 that showcased American and French designers side by side. It wasn't marketed as a competition but everyone pretty much knew that's what it was. The book goes in depth on every designer that participated and how they got to the pinnacle of their profession. The actual event is covered in blow-by-blow detail. Most fashion insiders will know how the whole thing turned out but since I didn't, the sense of anticipation and the end result were satisfying. It's a pretty well paced read and not boring at all. I read it in a couple of days.The only thing I do wish it had were pictures that illustrated the various designers and their creations, their studios, and the room in Versailles where this all took place. I spent a lot of time Googling things so that I could get some context with it. I did eventually purchase the film documentary "Versailles '73" that gave me the visuals but some illustrations in the book couldn't hurt and would make it more enjoyable.

Fashion editor Robin Givhan’s The Battle of Versailles is a history of fashion in the 1970s building up to this French fashion show in which European and American designers “faced off.” Throughout the book, Giuvhan focuses on the American designers and the fashion world in this period of time. Occasionally she mentions the black models which grace the cover of her book.The flow of Versailles is problematic; Givhan is highly inconsistent in her analysis and at times seems to struggle with the concept of writing a full length work. For example, she flips back and forth between describing the black models as cheap and available or highly sought after. She attempts to touch on the issue of race but never actually makes contact. Yes, Robin Givhan, the black models are black! After finishing the work I am not any more informed on these models than I was to begin with. Givhan the fact that she is an African American fashion editor I was disappointed that she did not really deliver on this topic. Her writing also has a tendency to go off on tangents. While the information she provides is interesting--yes the whole background of how coture began is important--it could have easily been summed up in a far more concise way or put in as a side-bar. The narrative tended to be drawn out in ways that did not benefit the reader.I am a fan of micro-history; of focusing in on one incident in history, making an in depth analysis, and recapturing a long passed moment. Givhan takes interviews with the designers and pieces together their design process in a truly impressive manner. She gives a voice to designers who have been mainly forgotten or overlooked by our modern fashion press. Hopefully, this work will have sparked an interest in readers to go and look at Halston and Stephen Burrows. This should be a good boost for Anne Klein as well. She lets the personalities of the designers come through and it is these large personalities which dominate the story and bring out its best moments.

love it, the author is a fabulous story teller , especially since the significant event had not been documented.

Love reading this book about American vs French fashion and models in show in Versailles. Excellent book.

The Battle of Versailles is an excellent social history. Yes, it is all about a great fashion event. More importantly it is a record of us as a country at the time. Because of the surrounding social and political events you get a well rounded account of why the fashion show at Versailles had such impact.

Wow! The best and most interesting book on what is going on inside the fashion-business since "The Beautiful Fall"!

This is more than the story of a fashion event. It mixes history and social mores in both the US & France across the 50s, 60s, 70s and explains why fashion mores changed over time.And extremely detailed and researched. Interesting stuff.

I doubt if non-fashion readers will appreciated it that much, but for everyone in Fashion it is a terrific must read and tells a lot about the 70s and the challenge of equal rights for blacks and whites in couture- circles

¡Gran libro!

Very happy with my book.