On November 28; 1973; the worlds social elite gathered at the Palace of Versailles for an international fashion show. By the time the curtain came down on the evenings spectacle; history had been made and the industry had been forever transformed. This is that story.Conceived as a fund-raiser for the restoration of King Louis XIVs palace; in the late fall of 1973; five top American designers faced off against five top French designers in an over-the-top runway extravaganza. An audience filled with celebrities and international jet-setters; including Princess Grace of Monaco; the Duchess of Windsor; Paloma Picasso; and Andy Warhol; were treated to an opulent performance featuring Liza Minnelli; Josephine Baker; and Rudolph Nureyev. What they saw would forever alter the history of fashion.The Americans at the Battle of Versaillesndash; Oscar de la Renta; Bill Blass; Anne Klein; Halston; and Stephen Burrows ndash; showed their work against the five French designers considered the best in the world ndash; Yves Saint Laurent; Hubert de Givenchy; Pierre Cardin; Emanuel Ungaro; and Marc Bohan of Christian Dior. Plagued by in-fighting; outsized egos; shoestring budgets; and innumerable technical difficulties; the American contingent had little chance of meeting the Europeans exquisite and refined standards. But against all odds; the American energy and the domination by the fearless models (ten of whom; in a groundbreaking move; were African American) sent the audience reeling. By the end of the evening; the Americans had officially taken their place on the worlds stage; prompting a major shift in the way race; gender; sexuality; and economics would be treated in fashion for decades to come. As the curtain came down on The Battle of Versailles; American fashion was born; no longer would the world look to Europe to determine the stylistic trends of the day; from here forward; American sensibility and taste would command the worlds attention. Pulitzer-Prize winning fashion journalist Robin Givhan offers a lively and meticulously well-researched account of this unique event. The Battle of Versailles is a sharp; engaging cultural history; this intimate examination of a single moment shows us how the world of fashion as we know it came to be.
#3485499 in eBooks 2014-09-15 2014-09-15File Name: B00NIVQ7PU
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Frank Erikson is a master of band compositionBy CustomerThis is an excellent manual which reveals many of the insights that Frank Erikson brings to his compositions. If his instructions are followed the result will be optimal resonance from the wind ensemble....and avoidance of unnecessarily "muddy" or unclear/complex textures that work to the disadvantage of composition accessibility to the listener. Although much of the material is basic in nature; if the text is read carefully it will reveal the superior techniques that Frank Erikson demonstrated in his work. Multiple examples are provided from Eriksons compositions. Of particular interest are Eriksons instructions on transcribing piano and orchestral pieces for band. In the introduction Erikson mentions a proposed second volume which was to be more focused on original composition; as apposed to arranging. It is unfortunate that this second volume never was completed and/or published....although much of what he recommends in this volume can be applied to original compositions for band.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Frank Erickson does a great job of explaining the subtleties and nuances of scoring ...By Dark Majic 007Frank Erickson does a great job of explaining the subtleties and nuances of scoring for band; more specifically for wind ensembles and symphonic band. This is a handy book to have as a reference guide for newer composers; and would be a great source for music composition students. The book explains voicing; range; color; layering; etc; and Erickson provides many of his own works which he analyzes and shows how and why he voiced the way he did. I found the book most helpful when I encounter voicing areas in my own band works where I am concerned about muddiness or where I want to clarity in certain passages. Even though there is software nowadays that can address these issues; this book is still very relevant for composers who enjoy the skill of writing music for band and would like a some different aspects on great scoring. Just be mindful; this book should not be used to replace proper training and practice as it assumes the reader is knowlgeable in the basics of composition.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Fills the holeBy Shari ParkerI was a little frustrated after looking through classic books on orchestration (e.g. Berlioz; Jacobs); that they were not as helpful for band as you might think. This book fit the bill nicely in making the approach to arranging for band clear and concise. It explains how to treat the different sections of the wind ensemble; rather than as additions to strings.
