If you, like us are glued to Netflix’ miniseries “Halston” you are probably blown away a bit by Ewan McGregor’s swag and acting. But this show has more than funky flares and seventies hairdos. In episode 2 the show revisits the runway show that has gone down in history as “The Battle Of Versailles”. 45 years ago, no one talked about American design. Everything fashionable was reputably French. So, when France invited the Americans to take part in a charity fashion event that would be staged like a duel between designers from each country, no one expected the Americans to stand a chance against the French masters. This runway spectacle did not only prove that the US had come of age as a country with it’s own original couturiers and not just a place where companies made money by selling ripoffs of European chic. But more importantly – it signalled a change for models, as the Americans had so many non-white models on the runway.
The show was of course important to especially Halston. But beyond all it became a tribute to models, maybe more than fashion and clothes. Bethann Hardison, Pat Cleveland, Billie Blair, Amina Warsuma, Norma Jean Darden, Charlene Dash, Barbara Jackson, Alva Chinn, Ramona Saunders, China Machado and Jennifer Brice – gorgeous girls of every ethnicity of New York graced the runway. That – is deserving a title like “A Runway Revolution”. If you love fashion history, we’d strongly advice you to watch this documentary about the real event – it is truly an interesting piece of fashion history. Or – alternately read ” 45 years ago, today American models and designers made fashion history – in Paris of all places right here at Styletalk Magazine.
