Curiosities about Paris Fashion Week since 1973
This week saw the start of another edition of Paris Fashion Week, where the main brands and designers will present their autumn/winter collections in shows full of creativity, beauty and glamour. Discover some of the curiosities behind this much-anticipated event.
Curiosities and significant moments in the history of Paris Fashion Week
The “Battle of Versailles”
The groundbreaking Battle of Versailles Fashion Show marked the beginning of the first official Paris Fashion Week, which took place in 1973 following the establishment of the Fédération Française de la Couture. Five of the biggest French designers faced five Americans in a fight that brought the long-standing tensions between Paris and New York fashion to life on stage. This fight was limited to the fashion sense.
Yves Saint Laurent, Emanuel Ungaro, Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin, and Hubert de Givenchy represented France at the event, which served as a fundraiser to restore the Palace of Versailles. Anne Klein, Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, and Stephen Burrows represented America. Though the French produced some spectacular displays, such as pumpkin coaches modeled after Cinderella and caravans led by rhinos, the Americans—who included an appearance by Liza Minnelli—are regarded as the winners.
The Fédération Française de la Couture, which also oversees Haute Couture Week and Paris Men’s Fashion Week, is still in charge of organizing the event today. The official schedule of fashion shows, the guidelines for participation, and the standards of quality for the collections are all established by this organization. Besides this, also provides young French fashion talent with financial support and guidance.
Paris Fashion Week live- The inauguration
The inaugural live broadcasted fashion show happened in the spring-summer 2010 season during Paris Fashion Week. It was none other than “Plato’s Atlantis” Alexander McQueen’s final production before his passing. The collection combined references to mythology, the environment, and the future while fusing art and technology. Millions of people worldwide watched the show.
Check the complete fashion show below:
Mugler organised an open to public fashion show – The first in history
The first-ever open-to-the-public show occurred during a Paris Fashion Week event. Six thousand spectators watched Thierry Mugler’s autumn-winter 1984 collection, which commemorated the house’s tenth anniversary.
During the fashion show, which included well-known models like Jerry Hall, Grace Jones, and Iman, James Brown performed live. Themes like space, movies, and fantasy served as inspiration for the collection.
Incredible and alluring places
One of the main draws of Paris Fashion Week is its breathtaking venues. Musée Rodin, the Grand Palais, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower are just a few of the magnificent venues that hold fashion shows.
Among the most striking instances are the Dior show from 2017, which turned the Rodin Museum into a labyrinth of mirrors; the Louis Vuitton show from 2019, which imitated the Centre Pompidou within the Louvre, a significant cultural complex housing French institutions for music, literature, and art; and the Saint Laurent show from 2018, which used lasers to light up the Eiffel Tower.
Speaking of venues, Chanel’s fall/winter 2014 show at Paris Fashion Week was among the most recognizable. To showcase the collection, the brand constructed a supermarket with more than 100,000 products. The pieces combined traditional brand elements, like tweed and pearls, with a lot of urban and sporty references, all within a setting that was a critique of consumerism.
The models enjoyed themselves among the shelves and shopping carts, and the fashion show was a success. A few visitors even brought items home as souvenirs.
Conclusion: There are many interesting curiosities about Paris Fashion Week, beginning with the fact that it was originally intended to be a fundraising event.
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