The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled Into the Spotlight and Made History
Wednesday, April 1 | 6 pm
Katie Murphy Amphitheatre
Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center
Robin Givhan in conversation with Patricia Mears
Robin Givhan, Pulitzer Prize–winning fashion critic for the Washington Post, presents her first book, The Battle of Versailles, the story of a 1973 face-off between five American designers—including Halston and Oscar de la Renta—and five French designers (Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Cardin among them). Buoyed by a decision to use ten African American models (unheard of then), the underdog Yanks pulled off a victory, cementing American fashion as a major player on the international stage.
A book signing will follow the presentation.