But American fashion still had a while before achieving international dominance. Once World Warr II ended, dressmaker Christian Dior debuted his wasp-waisted, full-skirted “New Look,” announcing the return of Paris couture and relegating New York back into its shadow.
Yet by the 1960s and ’70s, couture had lost its cachet. Brigitte Bardot, France’s hottest starlet, sniffed that Chanel was “for grannies.” Cool, stylish women wanted miniskirts straight off the rack from London, and
swaggering separates, blue jeans and disco dresses from New York designers like Halston.
In 1973, Lambert worked her magic again, pitting American and French designers against one another for a benefit showcase called the Battle of Versailles. The US team featured the young African-American designer
Stephen Burroughs, the out-and-
proud Halston, Oscar de la Renta,
a Dominican-American, and a woman, Anne Klein. The traditional white men representing France could not compete.
“You’re talking about a time when the civil-rights movement, the women’s movement, the gay-liberation movement, are starting to solidify,” said Jasmine Helm, another host of “Unravel.” “[The American designers] were hip and interesting and had something to say.”
Fashion Week had grown considerably as ready-to-wear exerted dominance over couture, and the Plaza and Pierre hotels uptown could no longer contain all the shows on the official calendar.
Designers began to showcase their collections at their own studios or different venues.
“If there were 50 shows, there were 50 different locations,” said Fern Mallis, former head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). “Nobody [in the industry] talked to each other.”
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