Halston
Encyclopedia
Roy Halston Frowick, also known as Halston (23 April 1932 – 26 March 1990) was a clothing
designer
of the 1970s. His long dresses or copies of his style were popular fashion wear in mid-1970s disco
theques.
, the second son of a Norwegian-American accountant
. Roy developed an interest in sewing from his mother, and he began creating hats and altering clothes for his mother and sister as a child. Roy graduated Bosse High School
in Evansville, Indiana
in 1950, then attended Indiana University for one semester. In 1952, Halston moved to Chicago
, where he enrolled in a night course at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and worked as a window dresser at the age of 18.
Halston's first big break came when the Chicago Daily News
ran a brief story on his fashionable hats. In 1957, he opened his first shop, the Boulevard Salon, on North Michigan Avenue. It was at this point that he began to use his middle name as his professional moniker. During his childhood he had been referred to as Halston to distinguish between himself and his uncle Roy.
Halston moved to New York City
in late 1957, first working for milliner Lilly Daché
. Within a year, he had been named co-designer at Daché, became acquainted with several fashion editors and publishers, and left Daché's studio to become head milliner for department store Bergdorf Goodman
in their customer milliner salon.
Halston achieved great fame after designing the pillbox hat
Jacqueline Kennedy wore to her husband's 1961 presidential inauguration
, and when he moved to designing women's wear, Newsweek
dubbed him "the premier fashion designer of all America." His designs were worn by Bianca Jagger
, Lauren Hutton
, Liza Minnelli
, Anjelica Huston
, Lauren Bacall
, Babe Paley
, and Elizabeth Taylor
, setting a style that would be closely associated with the international jet set
of the era.
Through his licensing agreement with JC Penney, his designs were accessible to women at a variety of income levels. Although this practice is not uncommon today, it was a controversial move at the time Halston, his perfume, was sold in a bottle designed by Elsa Peretti
and was the second biggest selling perfume of all time.
. He made interchangeable separates in shades of bone, tan, taupe, and brown. He also designed the seat covers that were added on the aircraft and known as the "Ultra look". He was asked by the US Olympic Committee to design the Pan American US Olympic team uniforms in 1976. He also designed the Girl Scout uniforms and those of the NY police department. Avis car rental company was another notable uniform contract.
subsidiary Playtex
corporate managers asked Halston to leave the Olympic Tower, headquarters of Halston Enterprises. Due to the rapid succession of hostile corporate take overs during the subsequent four years, Halston was prevented from designing or selling clothes under his own name.. He nevertheless continued to design clothing for his family and friends, including costumes for his dear friends Liza Minnelli and Martha Graham
and her Martha Graham Dance Company.
On March 26, 1990, with his loving family by his side, Halston died of lung cancer complicated by HIV
in San Francisco, California
. In June 1990 Liza Minnelli sponsored a standing room only tribute at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall
that was followed by a reception hosted by his very close friend Elsa Peretti.
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
of the 1970s. His long dresses or copies of his style were popular fashion wear in mid-1970s disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
theques.
Early life and career
Roy Halston Frowick was born on April 23, 1932 in Des Moines, IowaDes Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, the second son of a Norwegian-American accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
. Roy developed an interest in sewing from his mother, and he began creating hats and altering clothes for his mother and sister as a child. Roy graduated Bosse High School
Benjamin Bosse High School
Benjamin Bosse High School in Evansville, Indiana, USA, is a public high school of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation. Bosse is the smallest of the EVSC's five high schools, and third smallest high school by enrollment of Vanderburgh County's nine high schools.-History:The school was...
in Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
in 1950, then attended Indiana University for one semester. In 1952, Halston moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he enrolled in a night course at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and worked as a window dresser at the age of 18.
Halston's first big break came when the Chicago Daily News
Chicago Daily News
The Chicago Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published between 1876 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The Daily News was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty in 1875 and began publishing early the next year...
ran a brief story on his fashionable hats. In 1957, he opened his first shop, the Boulevard Salon, on North Michigan Avenue. It was at this point that he began to use his middle name as his professional moniker. During his childhood he had been referred to as Halston to distinguish between himself and his uncle Roy.
Halston moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in late 1957, first working for milliner Lilly Daché
Lilly Daché
Lilly Daché was a French milliner and fashion designer.She was born in Bègles, Gironde, France, and began her fashion career there at the age of 15 as a milliner, apprenticed under Caroline Reboux and Suzanne Talbot. Although she is said to have emigrated to the United States in 1924, the 1930 U.S...
. Within a year, he had been named co-designer at Daché, became acquainted with several fashion editors and publishers, and left Daché's studio to become head milliner for department store Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman is a luxury goods department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son Andrew Goodman....
in their customer milliner salon.
Halston achieved great fame after designing the pillbox hat
Pillbox hat
A pillbox hat is a small woman's hat with a flat crown and straight, upright sides, and no brim.-History:Historically, the pillbox was also military headgear, often including a chin strap, and can still be seen on ceremonial occasions in some countries, especially former members of the Commonwealth...
Jacqueline Kennedy wore to her husband's 1961 presidential inauguration
John F. Kennedy 1961 presidential inauguration
-Inaugural Address and Interpretation:Kennedy's inaugural address was the fourth-shortest inaugural address ever delivered, taking 13 minutes 59 seconds from first word to last word...
, and when he moved to designing women's wear, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
dubbed him "the premier fashion designer of all America." His designs were worn by Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger is a Nicaraguan-born social and human rights advocate and a former actress and model...
, Lauren Hutton
Lauren Hutton
Lauren Hutton is an American model and actress. She is best-known for her starring roles in the movies American Gigolo and Lassiter, and also for her fashion modeling career.-Personal life:...
, Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
, Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
, Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
, Babe Paley
Babe Paley
Barbara "Babe" Cushing Mortimer Paley was an American socialite and style icon. She was known by the popular nickname "Babe" for most of her life. She was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1958....
, and Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, setting a style that would be closely associated with the international jet set
Jet set
"Jet set" is a journalistic term that was used to describe an international social group of wealthy people, organizing and participating all around the world in social activities that are unreachable to ordinary people...
of the era.
Influence
As "the first designer to realize the potential of licensing himself," his influence went beyond style to reshape the business of fashion.Through his licensing agreement with JC Penney, his designs were accessible to women at a variety of income levels. Although this practice is not uncommon today, it was a controversial move at the time Halston, his perfume, was sold in a bottle designed by Elsa Peretti
Elsa Peretti
-Biography:She was born in Florence, Italy, in 1940, the daughter of a well-to-do Roman family. Educated at Volbicela School in Rome, with a diploma in interior design. In early jobs she was a French teacher, a ski instructor and a model...
and was the second biggest selling perfume of all time.
Uniform designs
Halston was very influential in uniform designs. His designs were featured on the very popular in its day Braniff. His designs were more muted than the airline's past uniform designs by Emilio PucciEmilio Pucci
Emilio Pucci, Marquis of Barsento , was a Florentine Italian fashion designer and politician. He and his eponymous company are synonymous with geometric prints in a kaleidoscope of colours.-Early life:...
. He made interchangeable separates in shades of bone, tan, taupe, and brown. He also designed the seat covers that were added on the aircraft and known as the "Ultra look". He was asked by the US Olympic Committee to design the Pan American US Olympic team uniforms in 1976. He also designed the Girl Scout uniforms and those of the NY police department. Avis car rental company was another notable uniform contract.
Death
Despite his achievements, the increased pressures from numerous licensing, in particular that of JC Penney that demanded eight collections per year plus accessories (he was a consummate perfectionist and would not allow junior designers to design licensed products bearing his name) in addition to his Made to Order, Ready to Wear and Haute Couture lines, all took their toll. In October 1984, Beatrice FoodsBeatrice Foods
Beatrice Foods Company was a major American food processing company. In 1987, its smaller international food operations were sold to Reginald Lewis, a corporate attorney creating TLC Beatrice International, after which the majority of its domestic brands and assets were acquired by Kohlberg,...
subsidiary Playtex
Playtex
Playtex and PlayTex are a brand and trademark. It used to be associated with bras and women's undergarments. Currently there are two separate companies with the Playtex name....
corporate managers asked Halston to leave the Olympic Tower, headquarters of Halston Enterprises. Due to the rapid succession of hostile corporate take overs during the subsequent four years, Halston was prevented from designing or selling clothes under his own name.. He nevertheless continued to design clothing for his family and friends, including costumes for his dear friends Liza Minnelli and Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
and her Martha Graham Dance Company.
On March 26, 1990, with his loving family by his side, Halston died of lung cancer complicated by HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. In June 1990 Liza Minnelli sponsored a standing room only tribute at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. It is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assisted in the construction of the hall...
that was followed by a reception hosted by his very close friend Elsa Peretti.