Ava DuVernay to Tackle Epic Fashion Show That Put Oscar de la Renta on the Map with 'Battle of Versailles'

After signing on to direct the film adaptation of the children’s classic A Wrinkle in Time, Ava DuVernay is adding another awesome project to her resume. The Selma director is taking on The Battle of Versailles, an epic fashion show that pit American designers against French designers.

The game-changing event took place on November 28, 1973 at the historic Palace of Versailles and happened to be a fundraiser for restoration efforts, Deadlinereports. Veterans Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, and Marc Bohan of Christian Dior faced off against Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein, Halston, Stephen Burrows and Anne Klein, accompanied by then-assistant Donna Karan, who were all virtually unknown.

The Americans broke ground with a showcase made of up 10 African-American models out of 30. Diversity worked in their favor and said models stomped the runway to victory, putting those unknown designers on the map.

DuVernay is co-writing the script, which is now in development, with Michael Starrbury. This film is based on the book The Battle Of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled Into The Spotlight And Made History, which came out last year. It was written by fashion journalist Robin Givhan.