Halston F/W 08.09 NYC

[polkaa_dot]

oh god, i hate it!

[TUGA]

I like the two items on NAP, but the runway versions only - I HATE the colours NAP has for the second dress, and the first one seems to have lost some shine (and it was my FAVOURITE item from this collection)

[Zazie]

this looks more Calvin Klein than Halston... There's no sexy elegance in any of these!

[skot4mc]

the shirt dress is completely sold out in both colours...

my goodness, it looks terrible!!

[sarah13]

Again...camel toe...how they could possible think that is was women want is beyond me.

[gr77]

Originally Posted by esquire

what about the purple "camel toe" all in one?

That's the only piece I don't like.The rest however is gorgeous imo

[strizen]

I like this look, even though it is a little costumey...The rest of this stuff sucks. Everyone said this label couldn't be revived, it had been tried time anda gain and never took...I think the cynics were right.

[jf813]

I was expecting something a little more grand but is still like it.

[jf813]

Originally Posted by Spike413

Well, the wait is up. Here are the two pieces from Netaporter.com



and

It's very Ann Taylor-ish.

[disco54]

After seeing the works of other designers , though its not wow , its pretty good for a first collection , that whole urban warrior chic or park avenue princess which you see in most new york collections gets repetitive , I think if the models were style more better , and better accessories , the show would have been much better , because the dresses and separates (except the blue jumpsuit) are nice.

[kristi_b]

For a major label/house, this collection is one of the worst I've ever seen. Just awful. The high waisted orange trousers on Coco, just hideous. How many more times are we going to see pockets in gowns? Would anyone actually walk around with your hands in those pockets? Would you actually put anything in those pockets?

I haven't read through this entire thread, but I just saw the collection on TV. From this page alone, it seems I'm not alone with my sentiments.

[Alejandro]

the show video is on www.halston.com

i really don't know how i feel about this.

teh 2 dresses on netaporter are

i can't believe they sold out!?!?!?

[Alejandro]

Halston Reappears as the Scene Changes
By Cathy Horyn
Published: February 6, 2008

Liza Minelli, sitting at the Halston show next to Harvey Weinstein, one of the label’s new owners, let out a sharp “Yes!” at the sight of the first outfit, a gray cashmere cape over a matching dress with suede boots, and spanked her hands together. Ms. Minnelli was a friend of Halston, one 1970s icon indelibly linked to another, but the challenge for the company is to find a new customer and to avoid being an American sentimentalist for once.

It doesn’t go with the spirit of the label.

For whatever else Halston was, he wasn’t the stuffed-shirt past. No wonder the Europeans, in 1973 at the famous Versailles fashion show where five American designers and five French couturiers met in a kind of showdown, felt so defeated by the simplicity of the Americans. Halston, by most reports, behaved abominably, and in a way his grandeur never eased. But his creative influence would spread to a generation of designers, to Donna Karan, Ralph Rucci and Tom Ford.

Halston comes again at a very interesting time in American fashion, perhaps a watershed moment, between the old ways of doing business through brick-and-mortar stores and editorial coverage, and the new possibilities through digital technology and direct access to consumers.

Halston is the first fashion house to make some of its designs immediately available to consumers. If designers didn’t have such an egotistical need to be judged with their peers, if they were surrounded by farsighted managers, they would reconsider how and when they show their clothes. They would recognize that the system is the way it is precisely because so many people are invested in keeping it that way.

The thing is, the over-embellished fashion on the runway for fall 2008 is a reflection of the old mentality. It puts out a completely different energy and set of values. One could admire the craft and decorative textures of Carolina Herrera’s country-themed collection on Monday, and could even imagine how an eccentric modernist would pick through the fur vests, bird-print blouses and plaid waistcoats to create something personal for herself.

But if you are sensitive to the rapid changes in the world — in our thinking about the environment, in the development of online marketplaces and communities, in the shift of capital to countries like China — you would want fashion that is in touch with contemporary ideas. Marco Zanini’s first collection for Halston may not entirely do that, but he is on the right track.

The evening dresses in powdery shades of apricot, mauve and cream, with details like a ruched bodice or a silk chiffon cape, are not merely minimalist classics, but they show as well the skill of a designer to make small but flattering adjustments to shoulders and draping so that body and dress meet.

Even better were the day clothes. Probably they will seem a little boring. Yet in a season of jackets and flaring print skirts, it’s great to see a designer establish a distinctive line with his tailoring. Mr. Zanini’s jackets are long and slim, with sharp shoulders, and work as well with skirts or trousers. It says a lot that he can make every piece count and at the same time make it all look effortless.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/fa...ml?ref=fashion

[Alejandro]

Feb 7 2008 10:01AM EST
Halston: Net-a-Porter, Rachel Zoe & Harvey Weinstein
by Lauren Goldstein Crowe

If you wanted an off-the-runway Halston dress from Net-a-Porter, you're almost out of luck. The brown shirt dress -- gone. The gray sheath can be yours, but only if you're a size 8. The teal one can be yours, if you are a 8 or a 10.

It all sounds very impressive, three styles almost sold out just days after the show, but how many dresses were there? Natalie Massanett, the founder of Net-a-Porter isn't saying -- she'd only say it was a "healthy order" and that it would have been a big loss had it gone wrong. Other UK retailers I spoke to said they think it would have been about 500 in total.

In other Halston news, the fashion world is all atwitter about the mysterious non-appearance of celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe at the Halston show. She's a creative adviser to the brand and one would think an appearance at the show was part of her contract. She was at Oscar de la Renta the hour before and both she and I were to speak to the C.E.O. Alex Bolen afterwards. I'd expressed concern about getting downtown for the show and a member of the Oscar team, said not to worry as Rachel also wanted to see Alex and make Halston. Hmmmm. What could Alex have said to Rachel to keep her away?

(Yes, these are the things we talk about in the vast hours spent waiting for shows to begin.)

She wasn't at the post-party either. At least not when Tamara Mellon was there with famous ex-husband Matthew Mellon and famous current boyfriend, Christian Slater. Tamara, the president of Jimmy Choo, is on the board of directors of Halston and she may have an equity stake as well, so you'd think it would be in her best interest to push the new vision of Halston. But she was wearing vintage Halston, and she loaned another vintage dress to her ex's girlfriend. Possibly not the best endorsement for the brand.

They sat on stage in a roped-off VIP area, which also seemed a bit odd at their own party. Harvey Weinstein, another owner, is fast becoming my favorite fashion executive. He was out in the crowd, saying hello, talking to guests, doing all the things a good host should do. Such a shame he can't wear the clothes.

http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs...rvey-weinstein

rachel has such a b.s. "position" at halston..... isn't the official story that she's on the "advisory board" or something ...... so stupid

[Mutterlein]

Thanks Alejandro for the posts.

It's good to see the clothes move, the suits are especially nice.

Still not sure how potent the appeal of these clothes are. It's difficult to imagine any of these things being so desirable that they eclipse the label's years of bad business and being kept in a dusty closet.

I agree with Cathy that the simplicity and practicality are right for the label but glamour, in my opinion, is just as essential. If they could bring back the concept of Halston as a frequenter of Studio 54, drinking champagne with Pat Cleveland, designing exquisite and expensive clothes for the stars, there's an appeal to it if done right.

Of course there's a danger with nostalgia of getting stuck in the past. Certainly there's a way to do glamour right and bring that old energy back, I suppose that's Rachel Zoe's job.

Halston is one of my American design heroes, if his name and his "spirit" can find a place for themselves in today's fashion it will mean a lot of good things for the future of New York fashion.