Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution
Thursday night was a truly incredible collaboration of talented people! I was very excited to be a part of the showing of Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution and the reception that followed (where I met Pat Cleveland…OMG! But more about that later).
The film was so interesting and well put together! I think, a lot of the time, people dismiss fashion as something that’s frilly and unimportant. Shallow, even. But what I’ve always felt is that fashion is a visual and artistic representation of where we are in history. Versailles ’73 captured that so well. It showed how five American designers, not taken seriously in the global fashion industry, were able to shatter the doubts of the rest of the world. They were able to prove themselves, and the fashion show at Versailles put American designers on the same plane as other respected designers around the world. These American designers came to Versailles to compete against the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, and Emanuel Ungaro. The American designers, after putting on a fabulously entertaining show, then became household names. You might just recognize them: Anne Klein, Stephen Burrows, Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, and Halston! It was beyond inspiring to think that, at any given moment, humans are capable of creating legacies that will transform how we are viewed by the rest of the humanity.
On top of that, guests were able to hear the thoughts of supermodel Pat Cleveland and the film’s director, Deborah Riley Draper. You could sense that these incredible women had such passion for their respective art forms! Pat Cleveland was so warm and effervescent, and took the time to socialize with anyone who wanted to speak to her after the film. And can I just say, she looked absolutely AMAZING wearing local Colorado fashion!! Pat wore a gorgeous kimono-like dress by Gabriela Martinez of Gabriela designs, and stunning statement earrings by Sahar Pazirandeh. I think anyone would have looked like a supermodel in those original designs, but the fact that Pat Cleveland wore them made it that much better!
Upon leaving the event, I felt lucky to be able to say that American designers have made such an impact in the fashion world. And, by the looks of it, Denver designers are up next!