The Battle of Versailles

The world's top fashion designers compete to become the most influential.

The Battle of Versailles was a fashion show held in 1973 in Versailles, France, which 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 more innovative and less traditional than the French designers: Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro, Pierre Cardin and Christian Dior.

In the end, the American designers won the competition and consolidated their place in the fashion world. The event was widely covered by the media and is considered a turning point in fashion history.

The French player has five actions per turn, representing the classic but overly long (2h30min) show he presented, while the American player has only three actions per turn as his show was fresh, innovative and short (only 37min). As a result, the game has different victory conditions:

• The French team tries to retain its prestige in the fashion industry, while the American team tries to steal French prestige.
  
• Both teams fight for control of the most influential celebrities in the fashion world.
  
• The Americans try to highlight the most innovative features of their dresses.
  
• The French are trying to contribute as much as possible to the reconstruction of Versailles, to enhance their national pride in this magnificent château.