In November
1973, a cadre of handpicked American fashion designers and their entourage descend
upon Paris to take their French counterparts on at their own game. According to
the film Versailles ’73: American Runway
Revolution, it was a watershed moment in fashion history, ushering in a new
era of ready to wear clothing and introducing a new, contemporary form of
fashion show.
Whether
this point of view is true is ultimately unimportant, although fashion had
certainly been moving towards a less formal mode for some time. In London for
instance, designers such as Mary Quant and Ossie Clark had already developed a
long history of energetic fashion shows, and Chloe in Paris was a developing brand
of serious ready-to-wear fashion. Perhaps it takes the juxtaposition of the
contemporary beside the traditional, such as happened at Versailles, to
underscore the extent of the changes that were then occurring, not just in
fashion, but in society as a whole.
The event
had initially been organised as an elaborate fundraiser for the restoration of
Versailles Palace but the story told is actually one of personalities and the
clashing of cultures. With John Gallanos and Geoffery Beene having both turned
down invitations to participate, the Americans opted for Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Anne Klein, Bill
Blass and the virtually unknown, young black designer, Stephen Burrows, to take
on the couture might of St Laurent, Givenchy, Dior, Ungaro and Cardin, with
modern, accessible designs that resisted the formula of elitist made-to-measure
gowns.
Partying
and bitching ensue on the trans-Atlantic flight to Paris as narrated by a host
of models, many of whom had been enjoying their first foray abroad. The film is
dominated by this kind of talking-head reminiscence which has some fun moments.
Once on the ground and rehearsals have begun, the back-biting continues,
firstly between the Americans and their hosts who refuse to acknowledge their
existence, denying them first food and water then even loo paper. Then follows
the infighting as the diva antics of Halston frustrate his colleagues as they
via for rehearsal time through the night.
Miraculously,
it is from the fiasco that comes the fabulous. Miscommunication over
choreography and staging leads to stripped down moves and striped down sets. While
the French presentation of Wagnerian proportions runs to 2 ½ hours, (including
giant pumpkins and er… reindeer), the Americans seize the day with a 35 minute blitzkrieg. Fresh from her Academy Award win for Cabaret, Liza Minnelli
opens a performance that
electrifies the audience- Princess Grace of Monaco herself leads proceedings in
flinging her program in the air at its conclusion.
Given the
social upheavals the French had endured in 1968, it seems remarkable how bound
by tradition their fashion system remained. Even though St Laurent had pushed
that system into new territory by becoming the first couturier to launch a
ready-to-wear line (pret-a-porter),
he and all his compatriots were blown away by the fresh spirit of the Americans.
This reflects perhaps some fundamental differences that had emerged between Europe
and America since the second world war; France continued in its hierarchal notions
of taste and culture, America had encouraged an egalitarian and democratic
model of consumer culture. Near the end of his career St Laurent proclaimed the
blue jean the one design he wished to had have pioneered, and consistent with
his love of popular culture he apparently proclaimed Stephen Burrows the stand
out collection of the occasion, full of youth, flamboyance and colour that it
was.
It really
is a very American tale however, the film presenting their own pioneering attributes
over the perceived fustiness of the French model. Almost the entire content
draws upon American accounts, whether designer (Burrows is the only designer who
presented that is actually in the film), assistant or model. The main
disappointment however is in the dearth of actual footage from the Versailles show
itself, probably five minutes of colour ‘runway’ footage and a few black and
white stills are all that is shown.
The more
interesting story however, is the emergence of a new wave of models, and
indeed, way of modelling. Unusually, (for both that period and now), black
models dominated the American show and they contribute to much of the film’s narration
with humour and élan. Recollections of sashaying down the runway, breasts
covered with nothing but a fan, point to the new, provocative space fashion was
then heading in. With such little time on the clothes however, many may find
this film disappointing. Halston, Burrows and de la Renta dominant the
discussions and yet while ready to wear was apparently trampling over the toes
of the traditions of couture, it’s premier proponent of contemporary daywear,
Anne Klein, is given scant attention or screen time.
Versailles ’73
reflects the spirit of the age rather than convincing that this particular fashion
show was ground zero for contemporary fashion. What we see instead is the
breakdown of social barriers in many forms, the beginnings of a globalised
fashion system and perhaps most relevant, early signs of the spectacle that
fashion would become in the following decades.
