Have you seen Netflix's biopic miniseries 'Halston'? This episode is with London based fashion historian and curator Scott Schiavone, who you may know from his YouTube channel Fashion &.  This timely conversation is about the 1973 fashion show (with Halston) that transformed fashion history--known as 'The Battle of Versailles'.   This monumental fashion competition is a story between the French, who were considered the giants of Haute Couture, and the Americans, who were the underdogs of Ready-to-wear. The French team was a roster of fashion kings including designers Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent,  Marc Bohan for Christian Dior, and Emanuel Ungaro. The American team was a diversified roster of designers including Anne Klein, Stephen Burrows, Bill Blass, Halston and Oscar de la Renta.   The gala fundraiser is described by Robin Givhan (2015) in the prologue of her book The Battle of Versailles as follows,  "On November 28, 1973, the world's social elite--men in dashing tuxedos and women dripping with diamonds--gathered in the majestic Theatre Gabriel at the Palace of Versailles.  Originally conceived as a publicity stunt and fund-raiser for the dilapidated French landmark, the Grand Divertissement a Versailles had become an international fashion extravaganza, bloated with pomp and passion.  Style writers and society columnists; royalty, tycoons, diplomats, and politicians; the creme de la creme of the jet set; stagehands, set designers, burlesque dancers, ballet starts, drag queens, glamorous models, famous choreographers, and one Academy Award-winning triple threat all watched in eager anticipation as five kings of French fashion faced off against five unsung American designers.  By the time the spotlight dimmed and the curtain came down on the evening's spectacle, fashion history had been made and the industry had been forever transformed." Please join Scott and myself as we talk about this historical event that changed the global landscape of fashion by cementing the switch from the era of Haute Couture to the global explosion of Ready-to-wear fashion. If you love an underdog story woven with threads of beauty rooted in diversity, then this conversation is for you.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/zara-korutz/message