A Fashion Film Review: Halston
Unless you live under a rock - or don’t have a cell phone, you’ve probably heard the buzz about the much anticipated miniseries about famed fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick. The series, simply titled Halston, stars Ewan McGregor as the legendary designer. Known for perfecting the shirtdress, the kaftan and of course that infamous pillbox hat worn by Jackie Kennedy, Halston is brought back to life in a docuseries that is over three decades in the making. Of course we had to share our two-cents (and then some) on this visually stimulating miniseries of the man who redefined style in the 70s.
So how could this five-part series possibly cover the scandalous - yet fabulous life of a man who contributed so much to fashion and dominated the New York scene during the swingin’ 70s? Halston was known for keeping company with fabulous women like Bianca Jagger, Liza Minelli and Elizabeth Taylor and what “company” that is indeed. In fact the series cast alone is star studded as well with actors like Krysta Rodriguez, Bill Pullman, Rory Culkin and Vera Farmiga to name just a few.
Halston director Daniel Minahan says that he structured each episode to focus on seminal parts of Halston’s legacy. He says, “My idea was to structure it around all the different collections or creations of Halston,” Minahan said. “So each episode is, like, the first collection, or it’s the creation of the fragrance, or it’s the Battle of Versailles, or the JCPenney collection, to give us an opportunity to show his creative process and his creative genius and then all of the maelstrom of the drama around him.” Whereas we feel five episodes wasn’t quite enough to get the full scope, we appreciate the effort Daniel, yet we still wanted more!
In the series we’re introduced to how Halston influenced women’s fashion today. We start out by seeing the young, wide-eyed designer transform himself into the sleek and self-righteous man the world saw. Halston freed women from the constraints of traditional clothing with his flowing designs and climbed the ladder of the fashion industry all while doing an alarming amount of drugs and breaking a few hearts along the way. He was also known (apparently) for his love of orchids which we know in reality he spent a low six-figure lump sum on to feed his “inspiration.”
Definitely, without a doubt we learned above all else that we need more turtlenecks, billowing dresses and trench dresses in our lives. So naturally we headed to Nordstrom online to find these much needed items. We found this black Reformation Turtleneck Longsleeve Minidress that gives us major Halston energy with a modern interpretation. We also like this Good American Ruched Turtleneck Bodysuit that has the same sleek energy the famed designer is known for. As we learned, Halston’s caftans were infamous so of course we went out and stocked up on a few. Our favorite has to be this Badgley Mischka Beaded Neck Paisley Caftan Dress. With its sweeping, floor length silhouette we felt like Elsa Paretti herself, strutting throughout our house. How about those trench dresses from the first episode? We’ve got you covered with this Anine Bing Campbell Long Sleeve Trench Dress and yes its just like Halston said, you can wear this anywhere.
Overall, we found the series informational even if we had to pull out our phones to find the actual story. For example, Ultrasuede wasn’t created by Halston but rather he met famed designer Issey Miyake at a party and found out about it there, but hey we have to give credit where credit is due. We’re adding Halston to our list of favorite “period dramas,” right next to Queen’s Gambit and The Crown. Want to take your Halston obsession to the next level? Check out this capsule collection, Halston x Netflix, a collection reinventing some of the designer’s famous designs. See for yourself some of our favorite pieces as well as some iconic looks from the series.