Halston

Halston
Born	Roy Halston Frowick (1932-04-23) 23 April 1932 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Died	26 March 1990(1990-03-26) (aged 57) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupation	Fashion designer
Years active	Early 1950s–1990
Known for	Influential American fashion designer; popularizing minimalist elegance and ultrasuede fabrics; designing for Studio 54 culture; Halstonettes; Braniff Airways uniforms; Halston III collection with J.C. Penney

Roy Halston Frowick (April 23, 1932 – March 26, 1990), widely recognized simply as Halston, was an influential American fashion designer who rose to global prominence during the 1970s.

Halston's designs, characterized by their minimalist elegance and often fashioned from materials such as cashmere and ultrasuede, transformed American fashion within the discotheque culture of the mid-1970s. He became synonymous with a casual yet sophisticated urban lifestyle for American women and was frequently seen at Studio 54 alongside close acquaintances including Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger, Joe Eula, and Andy Warhol.

Beginning in the early 1950s while studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Halston started creating women's hats. He quickly developed a distinguished clientele and opened a boutique on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile in 1957. Subsequently, he secured the position of head milliner at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. His career breakthrough occurred when Jacqueline Kennedy donned his pillbox hat during President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inauguration. By the late 1960s, Halston shifted his focus to women's apparel, inaugurating a Madison Avenue boutique and launching a ready-to-wear collection. However, after several unsuccessful business ventures, he lost ownership of his fashion brand in the 1980s. Halston passed away in 1990 at age 57 due to AIDS-related cancer.

Early life and education

Roy Halston Frowick entered the world on April 23, 1932, in Des Moines, Iowa. He was the second son of James Edward Frowick, an accountant with Norwegian roots, and Hallie Mae (née Holmes), a homemaker. Encouraged by his grandmother’s influence, he cultivated a passion for sewing early on, crafting hats and modifying garments for family members. At age 14, he relocated to Evansville, Indiana, where he graduated from Benjamin Bosse High School in 1950. After a brief stint at Indiana University, he decided to pursue a career in fashion design.

Early years

In 1952, Halston moved to Chicago and enrolled in evening classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago while working as a window dresser. The following year, he launched his own millinery business, attracting clients such as radio actress Fran Allison and notable figures including Kim Novak, Gloria Swanson, Deborah Kerr, and Hedda Hopper.

His work gained wider recognition after being featured by the Chicago Daily News. In 1957, he opened Boulevard Salon on North Michigan Avenue, adopting his middle name "Halston" as his professional identity. Later that year, he relocated to New York City to join milliner Lilly Daché, quickly rising to co-designer before becoming head of the millinery department at the prestigious department store Bergdorf Goodman.

Popularity

Halston achieved significant acclaim following Jacqueline Kennedy’s choice to wear his pillbox hat at the 1961 presidential inauguration. Transitioning into womenswear design, he was hailed by Newsweek as "America’s foremost fashion designer." With financial backing from millionaire Estelle Marsh, Halston opened his inaugural boutique on Madison Avenue in 1968. That year’s collection featured a memorable velvet wedding gown for advertising executive Mary Wells Lawrence, who later played a key role in securing Halston’s commission to design uniforms for Braniff International Airways in 1976.

In 1969, Halston introduced his first ready-to-wear collection under the label Halston Limited. His creations emphasized streamlined elegance with luxurious fabrics like silk and chiffon while eliminating superfluous embellishments to enhance wearability and comfort. He revolutionized women’s fashion by allowing fabrics to drape naturally and championed pants as symbols of both freedom and practicality.

His Madison Avenue boutique attracted elite clientele such as Greta Garbo, Babe Paley, Anjelica Huston, Gene Tierney, Lauren Bacall, Elizabeth Taylor, Bianca Jagger, and Liza Minnelli. Between 1968 and 1973, his label generated approximately $30 million in revenue.

In 1970, Halston was honored with a postage stamp issued by Nicaraguan first lady Hope Portocarrero.

Halston sold his brand to Norton Simon, Inc. in 1973 for $16 million but maintained creative leadership as principal designer. That same year, he took part in the landmark Battle of Versailles Fashion Show. In 1975, Max Factor launched Halston’s first women’s fragrance, Halston Classic, which had achieved sales totaling $85 million by 1977. Throughout the decade, Halston expanded his offerings into menswear, luggage, handbags, lingerie, and home textiles. He is credited with popularizing caftans for Jacqueline Kennedy as well as matte jersey halter dresses and polyurethane fabrics within American fashion circles.

Halstonettes

With Halston's rising prominence, the models he favored—including Pat Cleveland, Anjelica Huston, Heidi Goldberg, Karen Bjornson, Beverly Johnson, Nancy North, Chris Royer, Alva Chinn, Connie Cook, and Pat Ast—also gained significant attention. This cohort, labeled the “Halstonettes” by fashion commentator André Leon Talley, played a central role in Halston's advertising campaigns, editorials, and public appearances. Frequently accompanying Halston on travels, they served as his inspirations and highlighted his commitment to ethnic inclusivity—Halston was a pioneer among major designers in featuring racially diverse models in his runway shows and marketing efforts.

Braniff Airways

In 1977, Halston ventured into uniform design by securing a contract with Braniff International Airways to redesign their flight attendants' wardrobes. He crafted a collection of understated brown interchangeable pieces in hues such as bone, tan, and taupe, paired with seat coverings made from brown Argentine leather. This unified aesthetic was named "Ultra Touch," a nod to Halston’s hallmark ultrasuede fabrics and reflective of late 1970s fashion trends.

The unveiling event, titled "Three Nights in Acapulco," was an exclusive affair attended by Braniff chairman Harding Lawrence, his spouse Mary Wells Lawrence, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, Halston himself, and the Halstonettes. Their attire harmonized with Braniff’s newly introduced aircraft colors as part of the Elegance Campaign. The uniforms earned praise from both fashion critics and Braniff staff for their blend of elegance and comfort.

Sports team and other uniforms

Halston was tasked by the U.S. Olympic Committee to design apparel for the 1976 Pan American Games and the U.S. Olympic Team. Additionally, he created uniforms for organizations such as the Girl Scouts, the New York Police Department, and Avis Rent a Car System.

Later years

In 1983, Halston entered into a six-year licensing agreement reportedly valued at $1 billion with the retail chain J. C. Penney. The resulting Halston III collection featured affordable apparel, accessories, cosmetics, and fragrances priced between $24 and $200. This strategy was groundbreaking since no luxury designer before had licensed products to a mid-market retailer. Although Halston viewed this as an opportunity to broaden his brand’s reach, it ultimately harmed his upscale reputation; prestigious stores like Bergdorf Goodman soon dropped his Halston Limited line following the announcement.

That year also saw Halston Limited—then under Norton Simon, Inc.—acquired by Esmark Inc. After subsequent ownership transfers involving companies such as Playtex International and Beatrice Foods, Halston gradually lost authority over his enterprise. By 1984, he was prohibited from designing for Halston Enterprises and was succeeded by John David Ridge. Despite efforts to regain ownership, the brand was purchased by Revlon in 1986. While Halston continued receiving a salary, he stopped creating ready-to-wear collections for the label and instead concentrated on bespoke designs for clients including Liza Minnelli and Martha Graham. Notably, he designed costumes for the Martha Graham Dance Company’s Temptations of the Moon in 1986.

Following the expiration of his contract with Revlon, negotiations for renewal collapsed when he discovered plans to proceed without his involvement. The Halston clothing line continued under various designers until Revlon discontinued it in 1990 but maintained sales of Halston-branded perfumes.

Personal life

Halston maintained a fluctuating romantic relationship with Victor Hugo, an artist originally from Venezuela, whom he encountered in 1972. Initially working as a makeup artist, Hugo was later employed by Halston as his window dresser. Their partnership endured for more than a decade. Additionally, Halston was rumored to have been involved romantically with fashion designer Luis Estevez.

Death

In 1988, Halston received a diagnosis confirming he was HIV positive. As his condition worsened, he relocated to San Francisco to be cared for by family members. He passed away on March 26, 1990, at California Pacific Medical Center due to Kaposi's sarcoma, an illness associated with AIDS. His body was cremated following his death.

Commemoration

A tribute event honoring Halston took place in June 1990 at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, hosted by Liza Minnelli and followed by a reception featuring Elsa Peretti. Interest in Halston’s contributions was revitalized by the 2010 documentary Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston.

From November 2014 through January 2015, the Warhol Museum presented the traveling exhibit Halston and Warhol Silver and Suede, co-curated by Lesley Frowick, Halston’s niece. Early in 2015, the Fashion Institute of Technology showcased an exhibition celebrating Halston’s designs from the 1970s.

In March 2017, the Nassau County Museum of Art unveiled Halston Style, a retrospective curated by Frowick that featured items from his personal archives. Frowick also authored the accompanying catalogue titled Halston: Inventing American Fashion.

The documentary Halston, directed by Frédéric Tcheng and released in May 2019, reignited public interest in both Halston and his group of muses known as the Halstonettes. Media outlets such as The New York Times and CNN published articles reflecting on their experiences.

Fashion commentator Robin Givhan observed that Tom Ford’s late-1990s revivals of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent drew heavily from Halston’s signature glamorous aesthetic.

Ewan McGregor portrayed Halston in Netflix’s miniseries Halston, which premiered in May 2021 and was adapted from Steven Gaines' 1991 biography Simply Halston.

Company

Following Halston’s death in 1990, ownership of the brand changed hands numerous times.

After Revlon discontinued its clothing line in 1990, Borghese acquired the label in 1991. In 1996, sportswear company Tropic Tex purchased the clothing license (while Revlon retained fragrance rights) and brought on designer Randolph Duke to relaunch the collection. Duke’s first collection debuted in fall 1997 to critical acclaim, attracting celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Minnie Driver as clients. Duke departed in 1998 after the company was sold to private equity firm Catterton-Simon. Later that year, Kevan Hall was named head designer at House of Halston; his Spring 1998 collection also received positive reviews. In 1999, Catterton-Simon sold Halston Enterprises to Neema Clothing; Hall left in 2000.

Under new ownership by James J. Ammeen, Halston pursued a luxury revival with designer Bradley Bayou, whose creations were worn by Oprah Winfrey and Queen Latifah. Bayou exited in 2005 citing insufficient marketing support.

In 2006, Tamara Mellon (co-founder of Jimmy Choo), stylist Rachel Zoe, and producer Harvey Weinstein teamed with Hilco Consumer Capital aiming to rejuvenate the brand. Following creative differences over design direction, former Versace designer Marco Zanini was appointed in July 2007. Between 2007 and 2008, Chris Royer acted as Halston Archivist and advisory board member, developing a vintage archive utilized for exhibitions including Neiman Marcus’s "Halston Glam" and the traveling "Halston and Warhol: Silver and Suede."

Zanini’s 2008 collection garnered mixed critiques; he departed that July. British designer Marios Schwab took over in May 2009. The company introduced a secondary line called Halston Heritage, inspired by archived sketches updated with contemporary elements. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker wore pieces from Halston Heritage in Sex and the City 2 (2009) and was appointed president and chief creative officer overseeing both mainline and Heritage collections.

Schwab presented his inaugural collection in February 2011 but faced unfavorable reviews. During Parker’s leadership, jeweler Jacqueline Rabun created silver accessories for the brand. Parker left mid-2011; Schwab and Weinstein soon followed.

In late 2011, Hilco consolidated full ownership and appointed Ben Malka—former president of BCBG—as chairman and CEO to concentrate on Halston Heritage. Marie Mazelis, previously creative director at Max Azria and Hervé Léger, led a contemporary relaunch supported by a $7.5 million investment.

The company moved its headquarters from New York City to Los Angeles in September 2012. By February 2013, Halston Heritage partnered with Majid Al Futtaim Group for distribution within the United Arab Emirates market. By 2015, lines H by Halston and H Halston were sold to Xcel, specialists in expanding mass-market brands.

The fall collection of 2018 highlighted athleisure-inspired apparel.

Ken Downing was appointed creative director of Halston in 2022.

External links

• Official company website