The Battle of Versailles

“The Battle of Versailles” was a fashion show held in 1973 in Versailles, France that pitted five American designers against five French designers. The American designers, including Anne Klein, Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, and Bill Blass, were considered to be more innovative and less traditional than the French designers: Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro, Pierre Cardin, and Christian Dior. The American designers ended up winning the competition and solidifying their place in the fashion world. The event was widely covered in the media, and is considered a turning point in the history of fashion.

In the game The Battle of Versailles, players take the role of either the France or U.S. team, facing one another by playing action cards to show off their best dresses, to attract the most popular celebrities, or to annoy the opponent by spreading bad gossip. They also compete to contribute more than their opponent to the reconstruction of the palace of Versailles.

The French player has five actions per round, representing the classic but overly-long show (2h 30min) that it put on, while the American player has only three actions per round as their show was fresh, innovative, and short (only 37min). Correspondingly, the game has different victory conditions:

• The French team tries to keep its prestige in the fashion industry, while the American team tries to steal the French prestige.
• Both teams fight to control the most influential celebrities in the fashion world.
• The Americans try to show off the best innovative features on their dresses.
• The French try to contribute as much as possible to the reconstruction of Versailles in order to raise their national pride in this beautiful palace.