Inscribed first printing of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist's account of 1973's historic fashion show, in which the French fashion elite was outdone by an energetic and diverse group of American designers and models.
Near fine in near fine jacket.
Price: $150.00
"What made our show was the black Amerian models," de la Renta says. "There is zero question about that."
Jointly organized by American fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert and "queen bee of Paris" Marie-Hélène de Rothschild as a fundraiser for the restoration of the Palace of Versailles, the 1973 show invited five American designers — Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein, Halston, and Stephen Burrows — to present their work alongside five established names of French fashion - Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, and Marc Bohan for Dior.
Under the direction of theatre legend Jean-Louis Barrault, the French designers presented a series of disconnected vignettes with great individual charm but no cohesion, while the Americans agreed to share finances, planning, and a pool of 36 models, ten of whom were African American — an unprecedented number for a major show at the time — including proto-supermodel Pat Cleveland. The American show was spontaneous, fast-moving, unrestrained, loud, youthful, and modern, acknowledged as a triumph by everyone, even the French. "On that one snowy night at Versailles, the Americans shone brightly onstage, some as brilliantly as they ever would."
First edition. New York: Flatiron Books, (2015). 9'' x 6''. Original blind-stamped black boards with silver spine lettering. Blue endpapers. In original unclipped ($27.99) dust jacket. Color and black-and-white illustrations. 310 pages. Inscribed by Givhan on title page. Trace shelfwear to boards. Light edgewear to jacket.
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