âº
The rise and fall of the American designer Halston touches so many of the cultural pressure-points of the 70s and 80s it was bound to get miniseries treatment sooner or later. His fashion skills wrested the attention of American consumers away from the European names that dominated the field, to create a brand allure that expanded into perfumes and homeware to make him a household name.
But his self-created stylish image hid contradictions: Roy Halston Frowick was an Iowa country boy who became dressmaker to Hollywoodâs A-list, and a mainstream media figure who covertly enjoyed the eraâs gay sexual freedoms and coke-fuelled excess. With the advent of the 80s he fell off the corporate rollercoaster heâd ridden to fund his success, and, like so many of his generation, succumbed to the first wave of Aids.
The new Netflix show has been derided as “an inaccurate, fictionalised account” – here, the legendary designer’s friends, colleagues and associates set the record straight, providing an insight into the character of a man who was larger than life
The Ryan Murphy-produced, Daniel Minahan-directed series “Halston” swanned onto Netflix last weekend, bringing a much-needed dose of ’70s-style glamour and debauchery through which one can certainly live vicariously. Ewan McGregor stars as the mononymous titular designer, whose Ultrasuede dresses and elegantly draped jumpsuits and gowns defined American accessible glamour.