'The Battle of Versailles': Landmark Fashion Show Broke Racial Barriers, Showcased U.S. Designers

Jan. 25, 2011— -- Nearly 40 years ago, a single fashion show put a new generation of designers on the map and a new kind of model on the runway.

The fashion show now known as the "Battle of Versailles" was waged on a chilly night in France in 1973. The show, originally organized as a publicity stunt, pitted the old masters of French design against a team of bold U.S. upstarts, including Halston, Anne Klein, Bill Blass, Stephen Burrows and Oscar de la Renta.

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"It was a show that was bound for disaster, and it turned out to be absolutely extraordinary," de la Renta said, reflecting with pride all these decades later.

Five designers from each country teamed up on each side before a celebrity-packed audience of 800, including a tiara-wearing Princess Grace, gathered in a theater at the famous Royal French Chateau outside Paris. Lisa Minelli performed for the Americans, singing "Bonjour, Paris."

The French had U.S. expat Josephine Baker perform for their side.

Click here to see a slide show featuring designs from the 1973 fashion show and photos from a recent reunion of the American models and designers.

The French designers, including Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent, were certain of victory, backed by glamour and a long tradition. They employed elaborate stage sets and staid models to showcase their creations.

But the Americans had a secret weapon; a vibrant group of eight African-American models.

It started off all wrong for the Americans. Their sets were designed in inches, not centimeters, so they didn't fit. Still, with only a bare stage and a thumping beat, the U.S. models launched down the runway and into fashion history. For many in the audience, the show was a first.

"At the time, you didn't have African-American women walking the runway," recalled Amina Warsuma, one of the models. "It meant everything."

The French discounted the Americans as mere sportswear designers, but the designers and models from the United States were determined to be taken seriously in the fashion world.

"I walked like I defied the French," said Bethann Hardison, who walked the catwalk that night. "I walked like, they are going down."

Norma Jean Darden, another model, remembered, "We had a beat, and we came out with all that pizzazz and just floored everybody."