In 18th century France, fashion was used to signify wealth and status, with extravagant dresses designed by early fashion designers like Rose Bretin for French royalty and aristocracy. Following the French Revolution, fashion shifted to simpler Greco-inspired styles reflecting egalitarian ideals. In the early 20th century, designers like Paul Poiret incorporated Eastern influences, liberating women from corsets. The 1947 New Look by Christian Dior reintroduced an hourglass silhouette, but was challenged by Yves Saint Laurent's 1958 Trapeze collection. The 1973 Battle of Versailles pitted American and French designers in a competition won by the Americans, forcing France to acknowledge their fashion influence while emphasizing sportswear.

1. FASHION CAPITAL
FRANCE

2. It’s the late 18th century, and ruffles reign supreme as the aristocracy
scrambles to live a la Marie Antoinette. Fashion’s primary purpose is to
signify wealth; if you have the money, this means splurging on frou-frou
layers of tulle, silk and velvet, along with intricate embroidery and
heavy embellishment. Women’s fashion echoes one’s status and place
in the upper echelons of society and is a visualisation of the peoverb
that “women should be seen and not heard”.
The French court's insatiable appetite for opulent dress drives the country's textile trade, which has
been under sovereign rule since Louis XIV in an act of brazen elitism, laying the groundwork for haute
couture. The rococo court of Louis XVI continues to guard an industry of "royal manufacturers,"
including Rose Bretin, Marie Antoinette's "Minister of Fashion" and the first-ever fashion designer. The
deluxe dressmakers contribute to the establishment of elite fashion culture by catering to the whims of
French royalty and aristocracies both at home and abroad.

3. Following the French Revolution, society adopts a working-class uniform of aprons, clogs, and
mobcaps, repulsed by the opulence of royalty. The government takes cues from Greece, the
birthplace of democracy, and fashion shifts to flowing Grecian gowns that reflect society's
obsession with egalitarianism.
The cockade (a rosette of ribbons worn by free men in ancient Greece) becomes the revolution's
enduring symbol, appearing on everything from shoes to hats. However, society's rebuttal to
opulent fashion would turn out to be a trend in its own right - and one that would be quickly
outpaced.
History of haute couture
In the early twentieth century, fashion looks further afield for inspiration, fueled by France's
empirical rule and obsession with exoticism. Enter Paul Poiret, a renowned designer who
transforms Eastern influences into fantastical haute-couture creations. The austere restrictions
of post-revolutionary France have vanished, and lavish fashion is back in style as art nouveau
sweeps across Europe. Poiret introduces billowing kimonos, capacious harem pants, and
elaborately decorated turbans and sultana skirts, freeing women from organ-crushing corsetry
and cementing his reputation as the King of Fashion.

4. Coco Chanel loosens the constraints of modern clothing with a debut line of sailor pants and
Breton stripes in workaday fabrics in 1912, inspired by Poiret's liberated silhouettes. But, before
Jane Birkin incorporates these Gallic tropes into her sartorial canon in the 1960s, the fashion
pendulum swings again.
Dior’s New Look
Dior's 1947 "New Look," specifically the "Bar" suit, a full skirt and a cinched-in jacket that
manipulates curves, ignited the 1950s hourglass silhouette. It contradicts Chanel's free-
flowing silhouettes and is reminiscent of Marie Antoinette's robe à la française.

5. However, Dior's "New Look" quickly becomes the "Old Look," as evidenced by the house's spring 1958
collection. Following the untimely death of Monsieur Dior, his young protégé Yves Saint Laurent launches
his debut "Trapeze" collection. The "boy wonder" deviates from his master's established silhouette by
revealing a shape that does not hug the body but captures the changing mood.
The Battle of Versailles
The Battle of Versailles pitted American designers, such as Halston , against French designers.
It's 1973, and the wunderkind has risen to prominence. Yves Saint Laurent's reign is about to be
challenged by five American designers in the fashion competition of the century, along with four other
French juggernauts - Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, and Marc Bohan of Christian
Dior.
Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein, Halston, and Stephen Burrows arrive in Versailles with Liza
Minnelli, Broadway dancers, and 36 models in tow (10 of whom were Black, in unprecedented
diversity). The Battle of Versailles, the brainchild of public relations whiz Eleanor Lambert, is intended
to raise funds for the restoration of the namesake palace, and it has celebrities and high society
scrambling for tickets. The DIY dynamism of American designers and their entourage (particularly high-
energy Black models like Pat Cleveland) forces France to relinquish its throne - at least temporarily.

6. Even though there are fashion powerhouses across the world, France continues to lead the way.
Seismic shifts reverberated off the runway, compelling the French fashion industry to acknowledge
America as a contender while emphasising the importance of sportswear and commerciality. The
competition also marked the beginning of the era of blockbuster shows. The Battle of Versailles and
its frankly ridiculous design sets (Pierre Cardin commissioned a rocket; Emmanuel Ungaro, a gipsy
caravan drawn by a rhinoceros; and Yves Saint Laurent, a full-length limousine) established the
standard for fashion runway extravagance. We might not have seen Chanel's supermarket, Louis
Vuitton's glittering merry-go-round, or any of Galliano's Dior shows if it hadn't been for the Battle of
Versailles.

7. Even though there are fashion powerhouses across the world, France continues to lead the way.
Seismic shifts reverberated off the runway, compelling the French fashion industry to acknowledge America as
a contender while emphasising the importance of sportswear and commerciality. The competition also marked
the beginning of the era of blockbuster shows. The Battle of Versailles and its frankly ridiculous design sets
(Pierre Cardin commissioned a rocket; Emmanuel Ungaro, a gipsy caravan drawn by a rhinoceros; and Yves
Saint Laurent, a full-length limousine) established the standard for fashion runway extravagance. We might not
have seen Chanel's supermarket, Louis Vuitton's glittering merry-go-round, or any of Galliano's Dior shows if it
hadn't been for the Battle of Versailles.
For so long, French fashion has thrived by innovating and adapting to changing societal attitudes, whether it
was Yves Saint Laurent recognising the purchasing power of Beatniks, Pierre Cardin and Paco Rabanne
capitalising on 1960s space-race excitement, or, more recently, luxury conglomerates acquiring new talent,
such as Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton and Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga. This ability to code-switch and
commodify what's cult, combined with the enduring legacy of French fashion, will almost certainly have people
clamouring for access like 17th- and 18th-century courtiers for many years to come.