In “The Bias: Toward Fashion,” I investigate the fashion of Yves Saint Laurent, Halston, and how fashion can—at the highest level—function as an expression of artistic genius. The piece examines the infamous Battle of Versailles, designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Donna Karan, and couture houses such as Dior and Givenchy. Simultaneously, the essay explores the parallels between writing and fashion, considering authors such as Henry James, Edith Wharton, Roland Barthes, Gaston Bachelard, Raymond Carver, and Phillip Lopate.
This essay, published in the Summer 2016 issue of The Georgia Review, reviews The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled into the Spotlight and Made History by Robin Givhan, Yves Saint Laurent + Halston: Fashioning the ’70s by Patricia Mears and Emma McClendon, andYves Saint Laurent’s Studio: Mirror and Secrets by Jérômine Savignon.
