Halston and His High Society Ladies
If you haven’t heard of Halston before this week, we are sure you have heard of him now. Thanks to the new Netflix 5-part mini series titled Halston, the designer made famous by his iconic pillbox hat iconically worn by RH favorite Jackie Kennedy Onassis, is receiving a much-deserved reemergence with a new generation and new fashion fans being exposed to his groundbreaking designs, wild lifestyle, and beautiful friendship with Liza Minelli. That’s Liza with a ‘Z’ not Lisa with an ’S’. If you don’t get it, watch the show!
A brief background: Halston, born on April 23rd, 1932, as Roy Halston Frowick, grew up in Iowa. He went on to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he began designing and creating women’s hats. Following decent success in Chicago the designer became the head in house milliner at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. In 1961 he skyrocketed to fame when Jackie Kennedy wore his pillbox hat to the inauguration of her husband, President John F. Kennedy. With grand success for a brief period of time, the fashions as they do, changed and the high society ladies put down their hats and he was forced to reinvent and change with the times. In 1968 Halston opened his own boutique on Madison Avenue and expanded into women’s clothing.
Always a forward thinker and visionary, Halston embraced minimalist yet sophisticated and glamorous silhouettes and was a crucial player in creating a relaxed yet upscale fashion moment that became a trend heavily embraced in the 1970’s. "Pants give women the freedom to move around they've never had before. They don't have to worry about getting into low furniture or low sportscars. Pants will be with us for many years to come—probably forever if you can make that statement in fashion.” Halston said in a New York Times article released on December 4th, 1972. As it turns out, he was correct! Halston went on to sign a six-year licensing deal worth a reported $1 billion with retail chain J. C. Penney in 1983 which was groundbreaking and controversial at this time as he was the first high-end designer to license their designs and name to a mid-priced retail chain.
(Liza Minelli with Halston)
(Halston with Bianca Jagger)
We do not want to spoil the miniseries for you, so we will leave you on a cliffhanger wanting to learn more but be ready to learn about the wild world of Halston and his friendships with Liza Minelli, Elsa Peretti, Babe Pailey, Bianca Jagger and more! If you needed a little more convincing to watch the show, there is a fabulous fashion show that takes place in Versailles alongside Yves Saint Laurent, Oscar De La Renta, Anne Klein, and others, and was a regular at Studio 54. If you are a fashion lover, the 5-part show is a can’t miss.
(Elizabeth Taylor with Halston)
His life came to an unfortunate early end when he tested positive with HIV in 1988. He passed away on March 26th, 1990, in San Francisco where he spent his last years being cared for by family.
(Halston with his “Halstonettes,” a term coined by the fashion editor André Leon Talley.)