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In 1973, The Battle of Versailles fashion show broke boundaries and pushed the industry forward in big ways. In 2015, Robin Givhan wrote an "exceptional" book about it. And now, HBO is turning that book into a movie that necessitated a major directing talent to match — and boy, did they ever deliver. Deadline reports that Ava DuVernay, who directed Best Picture nominee Selma, will take charge of the movie. She will also co-write the project.
The event should give DuVernary plenty of opportunities to create some movie magic. The fashion show featured plenty of big name designers, from Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, and Pierre Cardin on the French side to Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Stephen Burrows, and Donna Karan, who was an assistant at the time, duking it out for the Americans. The French famously put on an extravagent two-hour long show that should be breathtaking on screen.
But like a good underdog sports movie, the feisty Americans presented an energetic half-hour show that broke boundaries by using Black models and won over the crowd.
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