Halston
Roy Halston Frowick, known mononymously as Halston, was an American fashion designer. His minimalist, fluid designs helped define the look of 1970s American style. Halston was known for creating a relaxed urban lifestyle for women.
In the early 1950s, while studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Halston launched a small business designing and crafting women's hats. His work quickly attracted a distinguished clientele, leading him to open a boutique on Chicago's Magnificent Mile in 1957. He later moved to New York, where he became head milliner at the luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman. His national profile soared after he created the pillbox hat worn by Jacqueline Kennedy at the presidential inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.
By the late 1960s, Halston shifted his focus to women's fashion, opening a Madison Avenue boutique and establishing a ready-to-wear line that became synonymous with modern American glamour. Halston's designs—often crafted from luxurious fabrics such as cashmere and ultrasuede—emerged as a defining feature of 1970s fashion, particularly in the era's vibrant discotheques. However, several ill-advised business decisions in the following decade led to his eventual loss of control over the Halston brand. He died in 1990 at age 57 from AIDS-related cancer.
Early life and education
Roy Halston Frowick was born on April 23, 1932, in Des Moines, Iowa, the second son of accountant James Edward Frowick who was of Norwegian descent, and his stay-at-home wife Hallie Mae. Halston developed an early interest in sewing from his grandmother and he began creating hats and altering clothes for his mother and sister. He grew up in Des Moines, and moved to Evansville, Indiana, at the age of 14.After graduating from Benjamin Bosse High School in 1950, Halston briefly attended Indiana University.
Career
Early years
In 1953, Halston opened his own hat business. His first customer was radio actress and comedian Fran Allison. Halston's hats were also bought by Kim Novak, Gloria Swanson, Deborah Kerr, and Hedda Hopper.Halston moved to New York City in late 1957, first working for milliner Lilly Daché. Within a year, he had been named the co-designer at Daché, became acquainted with several fashion editors and publishers, and left Daché's studio to become head milliner for department store Bergdorf Goodman in their customer milliner salon.
Popularity
Halston achieved great fame after designing the pillbox hat worn by Jacqueline Kennedy to her husband's presidential inauguration in 1961, and when he moved to designing women's wear, Newsweek dubbed him "the premier fashion designer of all America". When hats fell out of fashion, Halston moved on to designing clothing, made possible by Estelle Marsh, a millionaire from Amarillo, Texas. Marsh was his sole financial backer during this critical time of development. He opened his first boutique on Madison Avenue in 1968. The collection that year included a dark jade velvet wedding gown for advertising executive Mary Wells Lawrence. Lawrence was married to the CEO of Braniff International Airways, Harding Lawrence. She would be instrumental in bringing Halston to Braniff in 1976 to design Braniff's hostess, pilot, ticket agent, and ground personnel uniforms.Halston launched his first ready-to-wear line, Halston Limited, in 1969. Halston's design was usually simple, minimalist yet sophisticated, glamorous and comfortable at the same time. Halston liked to use soft, luxurious fabric like silk and chiffon. He later told Vogue that he got rid of "...all of the extra details that didn't work—bows that didn't tie, buttons that didn't button, zippers that didn't zip, wrap dresses that didn't wrap. I've always hated things that don't work." Halston changed the fitted silhouette and showed the female body shape by allowing the natural flow of the fabric to create its own shape. Halston said "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's boutique drew celebrity clients like Greta Garbo, Babe Paley, Anjelica Huston, Gene Tierney, Lauren Bacall, Elizabeth Taylor, Bianca Jagger and Liza Minnelli. From 1968 to 1973, his line earned an estimated $30 million.
In 1970, Hope Portocarrero, first lady of Nicaragua and client, issued a postage stamp dedicated to Halston.
In 1973, Halston sold his line to Norton Simon, Inc. for $16 million but remained its principal designer. This afforded him creative control with near unlimited financial backing. Later in the same year he participated to the historic Battle of Versailles Fashion Show.
In 1975, Max Factor released Halston's first namesake fragrance for women. By 1977, sales from the perfume had generated $85 million. Throughout the 1970s, Halston had expanded his line to include menswear, luggage, handbags, lingerie and bedding. Vogue later noted that Halston was responsible for popularizing caftans, which he made for Jacqueline Kennedy; matte jersey halter top dresses; and polyurethane in American fashion.
In March 1977, Halston hosted a benefit for the Martha Graham Dance Company at Bergdorf Goodman in New York.
In 1978, Halston relocated his headquarters to the top of the Olympic Tower at 641 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. With 18-foot-high ceilings and fully glazed exterior walls, the showroom offered sweeping views of the city that were amplified by mirrored interior partitions. Seats at Halston's fashion shows were highly coveted, with the front row consistently filled by his famous circle, including Martha Graham, Liza Minnelli, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Vreeland, and Andy Warhol, and Steve Rubell.
Halstonettes
As Halston's popularity and fame grew, those he worked with also became well known. His favored models included Pat Cleveland, Anjelica Huston, Heidi Goldberg, Karen Bjornson, Beverly Johnson, Nancy North, Chris Royer, Alva Chinn, Connie Cook, and Pat Ast. This entourage of models were eventually dubbed “The Halstonettes” by fashion journalist André Leon Talley. The Halstonettes appeared together in editorials and ads for Halston clothing and cosmetics and appeared at many Halston-related events. The troupe often travelled with Halston, attended his galas, acted as his muses, and reflected ethnic diversity.Uniforms
Braniff Airways
Halston was very influential in the design of uniforms. In 1977 he was contracted by Braniff International Airways to create a new look for their flight attendants. He created muted brown uniforms with a distinctive "H" logo. Halston created interchangeable separates in shades of bone, tan and taupe which the airline extended to the seat covers, using brown Argentine leather. The entire scheme was dubbed "Ultra Touch" by the airline in reference to Halston's ultrasuede designs, and was extremely evocative of the late 1970s. An elaborate party was thrown in February 1977, dubbed Three Nights in Acapulco, to introduce the new Halston fashions along with the new and elegant Braniff International Airways.Braniff chairman Harding Lawrence, his wife Mary Wells Lawrence, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, and Halston himself along with his Halstonettes were in attendance for the grand presentation. Halston and his entourage would arrive at selected points during the party in outfits that matched the deep tones of Braniff Airways' new color schemes that would be applied to their aircraft as part of the new so-called Elegance Campaign. The party and the Halston creations were a hit not only with the fashion press but also with Braniff employees, who thought they were the easiest and most comfortable uniforms they had ever worn.
Sports team and other uniforms
He was asked by the U.S. Olympic Committee to design the Pan American Games and U.S. Olympic Team's uniforms in 1976. He also designed the uniforms for the Girl Scouts, the New York Police Department, and the Avis Rent a Car System.Later years
In 1983, Halston signed a six-year licensing deal worth a reported $1 billion with retail chain J. C. Penney. The line, called Halston III, consisted of affordable clothing, accessories, cosmetics and perfumes ranging from $24 to $200. At the time, the move was considered controversial, as no other high-end designer had ever licensed their designs to a mid-priced chain retail store. While Halston was excited about the deal and felt that it would only expand his brand, the deal damaged his image with high-end fashion retailers who felt that his name had been "cheapened". Bergdorf Goodman at the time dropped his Halston Limited line from their store shortly after plans for Halston III were announced.In 1983, Halston Limited, which was owned by Norton Simon, Inc., was acquired by Esmark Inc. After the acquisition, Halston began to lose control over his namesake company and grew frustrated. As the label changed hands, Halston continued to lose control and, by 1984, was banned from creating designs for Halston Enterprises, being replaced in that role by John David Ridge. He attempted to buy back his company through protracted negotiations. Halston Enterprises was eventually acquired by Revlon in 1986. Halston was paid a salary by Revlon but had stopped designing clothing for the company. He continued designing for family and friends, most notably Liza Minnelli and Martha Graham. In 1986, Halston designed the costumes for the Martha Graham Dance Company's Temptations of the Moon. After his contract with Revlon expired, he was in talks to sign a new contract with the company but stopped negotiations after he learned that Revlon planned to continue the line without his input. The line continued on with various designers until 1990, when Revlon discontinued the clothing portion of the line but continued selling Halston perfumes.