liberty33r1b said:
there have been documentaries on him (E! True Hollywood Story did one), there is also a book by Stephen (steven) Gaines, as i am unsure of the correct spelling right now tited "Simply Haston" which gives a detailed and emotional account of his spectacular rise and Sad fall. He is probably the most iconic designer of american fashion, he was a close friend of the Sinister and Calculating ( i might be hated by some for saying this) artist Andy Warhol, who in a non business way,ccontributed significantly to the demise of Halston the man.
I think at this time the book is a must read for anyone who wants to know more about him and his company.
He was from the south, (missouri, i think, cant really remember right now) came to NY and became a milliner at Bergdorf Goodman...........
his first brush with fame came when as a milliner he designed the "pill-box" hat worn by Jackie Kennedy.
He transitioned into clothing and took along with him a minimalist aesthetic that he had about headwear............
He was one of the five american designers to at the famous versalles fashion show ( Ann Klein, Bill Blass, Oscar de la renta, and the black fashion Icon Stephen Burrows being the other four)
He had a Spanish (south american) Boyfriend by the name of Victor Hugo, who was called "Victor Huge-O" (you can image the reason here)
Hugo was a mercurial unpredictable personality who was cruel to Haston (who seemed to loved being victimized and abused)
early in his career , Halston (Born Roy Haston Frowick) was a workaholic and a homebody.......... It was later on in life that he became a party animal after visiting Studio 54 and developing frienships with Warhol, Liza Minelli, Babe Paley, Elizabeth Taylor, Bianca Jagger and a Ton of other celebrities at the time.
He sold his label and became a Mega Millionaire, eventually lost the rights to his name and was (probably the only designer that was) paid not to design...........
there was also an issue where he started a cheaper line with JC Penneys that seriously damaged the image of his company.....( this is a warning for some of these designers who are eager to go the cheap mass market route)
His Favorite fabric was Ultrasuede (it was argued by some, as stated in the aforementioned book) that he stole it from Issey Myake , after seeing Issey in a shirt made from it at a party one night.
In my opinion I dont neccessarily like the team they are assembling, as much as i know who Rachel Zoe Is, i know very little about her work (as i dont really care to know) to comment on it.
It would be realy nice to see Narciso designing the Label, as i think his work fits perfectly with the Haston Aesthetic............and would be right for today.
However I dont know how this would work, as I couldnt really understand Narciso Working in this kind of environment with so many high profile people around him who would want to be the "Franchise" and not a "Role Player"
The best years the Label had since the death of Haston in 1989, or 1990 was when it was designed by Randolph Duke and Ultimately Kevan Hall (whowas Dukes assistant iand beleived to be was doing most of the work when Duke was there , which ultimately led to Dukes Firing by the owners)
