What causes the tragic downfall of the famous fashion designer Roy Halston of the 70s.
The Netflix series “becoming Halston” showcases his lifestyle. Halston talent for creating fluid, aesthetic and minimalistic designs was phenomenal.
When watching the documentary, I was pretty impressed by his designs.
I must admit that the name Halston doesn’t ring a bell to me.
Who was Halston?
Halston is less known to me. While watching the Netflix documentary, I was a little bit surprised. He created the Pillbox hat of Jacky Kennedy, and he was America’s talented fashion Designer.
Roy Halston Frowick was born in Des Moines Iowa in 1932. He is the son of a Norwegian-American accountant James Edward Frowick. His mother is Hallie Mae. Halston was the younger brother of their two sons.
Before Halston’s “Rich and Fame” empire started, Halston studied at Chicago’s School of Art Institute.
As a side hustle, he was working as a window dresser. Later on, he worked for the luxury storehouse Bergdorf Goodman. Halston’s first interest was designing hats. Though he created several hats, he became famous after designing the hat of Jacky Kennedy. After this, he has to face his first downfall.
You're only as good as the people you dress
His first downfall forced Halston to pivot?
Halston got famous when Jacky Kennedy wore the Pillbox hat at the inauguration of her husband.
The market was in for that hat. It was the IT hat at the moment, but it didn’t last that long.
It went from the IT hat to conservative. So the popularity of the Halston IT hat went down. There was no interest in hats anymore. It was to old fashion for the next generation.
This was his first so-called “downfall”. So he had to pivot and start designing elegant women’s clothes.
Halston’s favourite designer, Cristobal Balenciaga, was his inspiration. Balenciaga created a fluid design, which you could see back in the designs of Halston.
Eventually, Halston found his voice by creating his own designs. Halston was a master of simplicity.
His creations were more on the high-end side. The wealthy, rich and famous class could afford his designs.
Later on, around 1968, Halston launched his Ready-to-Wear line.
Halston was the pioneer of the Ultrasuede fabric that was machine washable. This fabric became his hallmark. His Ultrasuede shirtdress gain popularity at that time.
The Battle of Versaille Fashion Show
The Battle of Versaille was a competition between the French and American designers.
For this, Madame Elenor Lambert approached several talented designers. She believed in winning this contest. One of them was Halston.
The other four fashion designers were; Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Stephen Burrows and Anne Klein.
They have to battle the French designers YSL, Pierre Cardin, Marc Bohan, Emanuel Ungaro and Givenchy.
The Americans all have their own styling voice that could blow the French designers away.
Oscar de la Renta unique style breathes femininity and romanticism.
Bill Blass is more of the classic American style. Blass also works for Anne Klein.
Stephen Burrows loves to work with soft, comfortable and chic fabric bright colours. His colour-blocked garments were unusual for that time.
Replacing straight stitches for zigzag was really rare at that time.
Anne Klein designs clothes for petite ladies. She was the only woman that participated in this contest.
The Americans did what they came for. Without a doubt, they won this battle. Intentionally this battle was to raise money to renovate the Palace of Versailles.
Halston devastating simplicity into Luxurious glamour
Halston’s designs are incredibly well made. Most dresses he created out of one piece of fabric. Which is pretty impressive!
Fewer stitches mean less distraction. Halston’s draping techniques were astonishing, which makes a dress simple yet elegant. He only could create these fluid designs by using Chiffons, lightweight Cashmere and Jersey.
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Halterneck, one-shoulder evening gowns, jumpsuits, was his signature look.
His fluid style was suitable for any occasion, especially at that time. “Clubbing” all night means looking glamourous all night. And Halston creates easy but elegant dresses to dance in.
Studio 54 NY “disco clubbing” epic centre for the rich and famous
Studio 54 was synonymous with Halston.
He is often spotted in the club with his Halstonettes. Celebrities like Liza Minnelli, Anne Ford, Bianca Jagger and more.
Not only in the “clubbing scene”, he makes dresses for the celebs.
Halston’s clientele were famous and rich people. Like Nadine Baronne de Rothschilds, Pat Nixon, the first lady, Nancy Reagan, Jacky Onassis, etc.
So after shutting down Studio 54, this was the place to be.
Master of simplicity
Halston was the master of simplicity. In 1972 he expanded his brand label and started selling women’s and men’s wear: cosmetics, Lingerie, travel essentials and even carpeting.
In 1974 Elsa designed the necklace perfume bottle, which you can see on Netflix. It became a hit because it was different from all the other bottles in the market.
Halston wanted a unique bottle for his fragrances. Elegance means minimalistic and simplicity for Halston.
Halston sold his name
Halston sold his company and name to Norton Simon Inc.
This was the first of many to come. With the financial backup from this deal with Norton Simon, he had more room to expand his creativity.
In 1983 Halston signed a one billion deal with JC Penny. His duty was creating affordable garments, accessories and cosmetics.
However, when Bergdorf Goodman, a high-end luxury store, get note of this, they stop selling his limited clothing line. This was a huge downfall for Halston.
Then came Esmark Inc buying Halston Limited. As a result, Halston lost control of his brand name. Tragic about all this is that Esmark forced him out of his own line.
What happens with Halston Brand name
After he died in 1990, several chief creative designers try to continue the Halston label. Even Sarah Jessica Parker from “Sex and the City” give it a try.
Robert Rodriguez is the new chief creative officer who has to put the Halston label in the spotlight.
Conclusion
The Netflix documentary was an incredible inside of Halton’s life. What is so tragic is that his lifestyle also causes his several downfalls.
For instance, the deal with Norton Simon Inc, Bergdorf Goodman, JC Penny following by Esmark Inc and more. It was a total mess, where he lost control of his company and name.
Overall, his designs are well made. It is astonishing how Halston creates dresses out of one fabric. His dresses were simple yet elegant.
Many celebrities dying to wear Halton’s dresses. Even the famous and the rich love to dress in a Halton.
Halston is not that familiar, like Oscar de la Renta. A new chief creative officer is attracted to put Halton’s label in the spotlight.
Would you buy a Halston dress after seeing the Netflix documentary?
