☞ REMEMBER: A New Look at Versaille circa 1973

We had a few posts on renowned African American designer Stephen Burrows during last year's fashion week and the New York Times recently detailed the dynamic moment in fashion history that brought his talent to the world stage: LINK.  At the Grand Divertissement à Versailles in 1973, five American designers were flown to France to represent their country against the astounding couture elite of Paris as part of a fund raiser to restore the grand palace.  Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein and Stephen Burrows were up against the legendary fashion houses of Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Ungaro and Cardin.

Mr. Burrows was the newest on the scene and would have his muse Pat Cleveland on hand at a moment in time when the couture world had never seen an African American model ever walk the runway. Other pioneering notables that gave the American's an edge to their collections included Bethann Hardison, Billie Blaine and male model Sterling St. Jacques. The underlying verdict on which country outshone the best is probably very subjective but what did happen during the start of that decade was a moment of diversity that most had not witnessed in the international world of high fashion.  Read more on Stephen Burrows and his recent Harlem connection in our past post: LINK.  Photo courtesy Rose Hartman and Getty Images.