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Find - Cyclist Couple Kissing And they lived happily ever after poster, canvas

Find - Cyclist Couple Kissing And they lived happily ever after poster, canvas

Iconic moments from Paris Fashion Week history

Star-studded front rows, outlandish set designs and the world's culture capital waiting just beyond the runway -- Paris Fashion Week has always been a theatrical celebration of fashion's very best. The city's reputation for craft and haute couture means that at every show artistry is expected and flamboyance is a custom.

But let's face it: the pandemic has not been kind to any cultural event and fashion weeks have not been immune. As another mostly digital Paris Fashion Week prepares to open next week, we look back at some of the most memorable moments from the event's storied and stylish history -- before face masks or social distancing.

Battle of Versailles, 1973

Paris Fashion Week began as a one-time fundraiser in 1973 for the renovation of the Palace of Versailles. Five french fashion houses, including Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy and Dior, went head-to-head with five American labels including Oscar de la Renta and Halston, pitting their collections against each other for a good cause. It was a triumph for Black talent, too, who made up nearly 30% of the American models -- a rarity at the time.

The event was attended by likes of artist Andy Warhol and entertainer and activist Josephine Baker. The glittering guest list helped anoint Paris as a formidable fashion hub for decades to come, despite the fact that the event didn't garner much media attention when it first launched.

The Chanel supermarket, 2014

At Paris Fashion Week in 2014, Chanel's Autumn-Winter show was a consumerist fantasy as Karl Lagerfeld ditched the traditional runway in favor of this extravagant supermarket spectacle, complete with Chanel-branded groceries. In the show, pop icon Rihanna and models Cara Delevingne and Joan Smalls pilfered products from the aisles and stashed them into their shopping cart.


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