The Versailles show turned fashion into a benefit spectacle

On 28 November 1973, five French couturiers and five American designers presented collections at a Versailles benefit evening that combined fashion, music, and dance. All proceeds went toward restoring the palace: Versailles’s official history gives the amount as 1.2 million francs, while the Project Management Institute estimates it at roughly US$280,000. Known as the “Battle of Versailles,” the event became a landmark in fashion history; in 2019, PMI reported that Paris Fashion Week attracted about 5,100 visitors and that its annual economic impact for Paris was estimated at €1.2 billion.