Halston
Phaidon, 600 Pages
Available at National Book Store
At 600 pages, Halston is a dense yet compact visual anthology on the life and work of the American fashion designer who had come to shape the style of a whole country in the late ’70s.
At the height of his career, his clients included Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger and Liz Taylor. Jackie Onassis swore by his caftans, and often requested multiple versions of the style in different hues. Andy Warhol was a friend. A young Angelica Huston walked his shows. Elsa Peretti was a frequent collaborator (and, in fact, designed the perfume bottle that would become well-known around the globe with its curved design). Supermodel vets Maria Berenson and Pat Cleveland were runway regulars.
Donna Karan grew up ogling his wares, and would later recreate dynamic jersey silhouettes in the ’90s that paid homage to Halston.
“He was the designer I aspired to be like,” says Karan. “He understood luxury, glamour, simplicity, fit and the importance of the uniform. To me, he represented all that was modern and pure.”
Halston represented modern glamour, a shift from the stiff decadence of the ’50s to something distinctly hip and current.
Though his silhouettes clung to the figure, they didn’t restrict movement. And just as DVF’s wrap dress earned icon status, so did Halston’s long-sleeved jersey numbers. The number of boldfaced names alone exiting Studio 54 the morning after wearing his dresses and jumpsuit are legend.
Today, his pieces still resonate with women everywhere. At Rustan’s, jersey jumpsuits, sequin-flecked party dresses and floor-length numbers re-issued from the Halston archive are available today.
In Halston, images of the designer, who Warhol compared to a movie star with his dapper figure and handsome visage, partying with friends offer a glimpse into his world: where fashion shows starring movie stars and parties featuring socialites and singers are the norm.