Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution | Movie review

If only smartphones existed in 1973. The participants and experts involved in the titular legendary runway show do a good job of retelling the events of a ready-to-wear face-off between French and American designers at the Château de Versailles in France, but it would’ve been nice to see more footage from the event. The show was part of a fund-raising effort to restore the Palace of Versailles, and that background information bogs down the first 20 minutes. Luckily, the action picks up when we get to the casting of the show, which was groundbreaking because the American designers (including Bill Blass and Halston) relied heavily on African-American runway models and brought international acclaim to the U.S. fashion scene. Though we can’t see much of the night, it’s still fun to hear from those who were there.