![]() ![]() The grand event, staged November 28 in the Royal Opera of Versailles, where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette held their wedding festivities, would soon take on a life of its own: Liza Minnelli was scheduled to perform on behalf of the Americans while ex-pat Josephine Baker-accompanied by burlesque dancers-would represent the French. The event was a face-off between old-world French designers (Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, Christian Dior, and Hubert de Givenchy) and American relative newcomers (Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, Halston, Bill Blass, and Anne Klein, who brought along her then-assistant, Donna Karan). They are here to commemorate a legendary runway show in which the three veterans all walked-and changed the fashion world forever.Īmerican publicist Eleanor Lambert and Versailles curator Gérald Van der Kemp hatched the idea for the Battle of Versailles to raise money to restore the famed palace. In addition to Cleveland, the "they" McKenzie is referring to includes Bethann Hardison and Alva Chinn, who are gathered in a tony townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side, along with fellow models Shelby Coleman, 20, and Kinee Diouf, 25. ![]() They built the business for black models, and it was so much harder for them back then." "You just have to learn from women like Pat, because their experience is what brought us here. Model Jaunel McKenzie, 26, looks on with admiration. Finally, she faces the wall, throws a look over her left shoulder and juts her hips to the right, the sequins on her dress sparkling like a couture disco ball. Then she slides into another pose, balancing one stilettoed foot on a gilded chair, turning slightly sideways for maximum elongation, and lowering her lashes dramatically. Pat Cleveland, dressed in a feathery Ralph Lauren confection, leans against a white wall and poses, one hand aloft, the other on her hip, her head tilted. From left: Pat Cleveland, Alva Chinn, Bethann Hardison, Jaunel McKenzie, Kinee Diouf and Shelby Coleman. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |