STORY BY JOSHUA CROASDALE,, ZOE DELA PLANA, PAUL G ROBERTS
EDITED BY TAYLOR STEIN
NARRATED BY PAUL G ROBERTS

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HALSTON

It’s the mononymous name that continues to be whispered with reverence is rarely uttered in today’s fashion world: Halston.

Legendary designer Roy Halston Frowick was a quintessential figure in American fashion during the late ’70s—notably, the Studio 54 era, together with Andy Warhol. His clean, minimalist designs fashioned out of uber luxurious materials such as cashmere and ultrasuede worn by the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy and Bianca Jagger was what catapulted him to fame. At the height of his career, he had a brick and mortar store on Madison Avenue in New York and a star studded clientele. Unfortunately, this was also during the height of HIV/AIDS epidemic in 1990, which caused his untimely death. His legacy lives on thanks to his archive, friends and famous muses such as Broadway superstar Liza Minelli.

Halston, as the world came to know him - is largely considered to be the first American star designer, and one of the most crucial designers of the ‘70s, famed for blurring the lines between the glitz of Hollywood and the glamour of the New Manhattan fashion scene. His designs came to define the quintessential 70s woman, and eventually would transform fashion’s relationship with the everyday consumer.

Halston’s success was meteoric, but there’s was an air of mystery that surrounded his journey. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, he grew up with a passion for sewing and hat making for his family. This passion took him to the Art Institute in Chicago in the early 1950's. His 20's also saw Halston beginning to focus more on designing hats within his leisure time. He additionally worked as a fashion merchandiser during this time. His hat designs would go on to be sold at famous milliners in New York. However, hats would not be the item of clothing to grant him fortune.

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