Paris Fashion Week first took place in 1973.
The first event was organized by the Fédération Française de la Couture and was held at the Palace of Versailles. It combined a fashion presentation with a major fundraising occasion, helping place French fashion in an international spotlight.
Paris had been a central fashion city long before 1973, with couture houses such as Chanel, Dior and Givenchy shaping modern fashion. The 1973 date refers to the formal fashion-week format rather than the beginning of Parisian couture or the founding of those houses.
Modern Paris Fashion Week includes ready-to-wear and haute couture calendars. These are related but separate schedules, and couture shows are governed by stricter membership and presentation requirements than ordinary ready-to-wear collections.