It was morning again in america. Millions of men and women were going to work. And high up above the streets in his olympic tower, one of americas most celebrated selfmade men. The most successful single individual in the history of American Fashion. Ladies and gentlemen, halston. Was nowhere in sight. The question that all of new york was asking last night was whatever happened to halston . Its a story of high fashion and high finance as one of americas big names in fashion it was business as usual, you could say. They bought his name, sold off his lifes work for pennies on the dollar, and when that wasnt enough, well, they forced him out of his own office. Some will say he had it coming. But what he didnt see coming were the tapes. All 215 of them, erased as per the corporations order. Who am i . Just someone working in the archives, nobody important for our story, really. Sportswear, knits, broadcloth, mens wear. This is andy warhols portrait of me. You see, pictures meant everything to halston. Texture demands texture. Life is like a picture, he used to say. Whos that lucky guy . Well, he got his perfect picture. Only, the price turned out to be a little high. How empty they can be but when i hold you in my arms thats a heaven to me who cares for fame and fortune their onyre only passing thi but the touch of your lips on mine id like to go back in time a little bit to just how you started. I know that you started with hats and worked your way oh, i are we going to move this . Please let me know these things. Are we rolling . Am i okay, i dont mind it being a little dishevelled. Okay, thanks. Halston was the custom milliner at bergdorf. We lived around the corner from each other, so he and i would walk to work together. Wed be talking, gossiping, having fun. He was so much fun. Then the minute wed arrive to the building and youd have to go through the revolving door, suddenly halston had arrived at bergdorf. The first time it quite shocked me. Of course, then i understood. He now has put on his halston mask. And the voice would change. Good morning, ladies. He was dealing with the creme de la creme of women in the world. Were you the person who put the pill box on Jackie Kennedy . Yes, i was. That hat was genius. If you look at the inauguration, most of those ladies wore a mink coat. Jackie was in a cloth coat and a cloth hat. Ill never forget the impact that hat had, even out in montana where i was sitting at the time. It was a very funny story because it was a rather windy day. She put her hand on the hat, and it ended up to have a dent in it. And so when during all the ceremonies, it had a dent in the hat, and everybody who copied it put a dent in it, which was so funny. I was quite a young man, but i became very, very famous quickly. That was the first time in the history of bergdorf they promoted a designer personality. And i had a department of 150 milliners and 12 sales ladies. Bergdorf was a very rarefied world, but he was born in des moines, iowa, as i read because he never told me any of this. Halston was so busy moving forward. I knew very little about halstons personal life. Certainly i didnt know much about his background. In november of 1966, there was truman capotes black and white ball. Everybody wanted to be at that ball because it was it, you know, as far as where you should go, you know . You would measure your social importance by the invitation, getting one or not getting one. Do you know if he was invited to the ball . I would have thought so, but now i have my doubts. I dont know. Was he . Halston did not have an invite to the ball. We have filmed this black and white ball in color for your enlightenment. Good heavens, her comes john kenneth galbraith. The barrenness derothchild. Mrs. Lowell guinness. We only tell you this because we know you are not rich, social, or beautiful enough to be invited here tonight. The irony is halston had made more than 100 masks that night. Kay graham, who owned the washington post. Candice bergen. In terms of social position, halston still is a milliner. I must have said, are you going . And he said, oh, yes. Thats all i can say. He didnt tell me everything. He wasnt invited by truman. But he got himself there. Was this halston . Or this one . Was he even at the ball . He was on everybodys face that night, and yet he was invisible. He called me one day and said, theres something i need to tell you. I was in southampton. I was invited to a very grand dinner. Our host is a client. And she likes me and she invited me. And we sat down, and two of the husbands never sat down. They stood behind their chairs. Everybody was seated, and the hostess looked up and they said, if these two faggots are at the table, we will not be joining you for your dinner. He said, tom, i just need you to understand that you and i could not hope to be anything more than trained faggot poodles to jump through the hoops of these rich people. The mental image most people have of a male homosexual looks pretty much like this. A man with effeminate characteristics. The film youre now watching is being projected in its negative form to prevent identification of the people it shows. The scenes were telegraphed with photoscopic lenses. Despite the negative image, the actions themselves are easily recognized. I met halston at fire island. He was just, you know, just a fabulous human being. And we became best friends. The freedom of our sexuality there, life before a. I. D. S. Halston and i partied a great deal together. We would go dancing. It was always very, very, very eclectic. But the 60s in general were a political, moral, social revolution. Halston understood that there was a whole new social order coming in. The war baby boom came of age. Drugs, sex, and rock and roll. Even the french couture changed. Saint laurent, givenchy opened up readtowear boutiques. Halston saw all of that. And there was tension with the bergdorf people. Halston, strange character. Quite fussy, and he was always very demanding, every little detail. He said, i have backing. All sorts of small petty things. Halston came to see me, and he said, i have backing. Would you clean up your act . I was deep into drugs by that time. But i did stop intravenous drugs and went to work with him. This is the house that jack built, yall remember this house this was the land that he worked by hand well, the salon was on 68th street and madison in this tiny walkup derelict building. Compared to Bergdorf Goodman, i thought, wow, this is didnt feel so fancy. Then you went upstairs, a plain door, and youd knock and then youd go in. It was just magic. Basically, it was just a floor through apartment they turned into this incredible background, which was all sort of magical and exotic. You felt like you were in an indian pal ace indian palace. You didnt know where you were. It was very wild. I remember the furniture because it was very uncomfortable. It was horn furniture. Like you didnt want to sit in them. But it looked great. In the house that jack built halston made the atmosphere very democratic. I mean, im a poor kid from long island city, but then there was Marissa Berenson and barry who grew up in paris. It was a mix of social circles. It was a big mix of interesting, fascinating people. Like elsa. I love to be with homosexual. I stay 50 years with homosexual and i love them. Pat was discovered on a subway car. I was still in high school. I went into the room, and he looked at me and said, okay, youll be here tomorrow for the show. He was totally laser focused on this collection because in his mind, im sure this was make or break. All the ladies of society were there. The vogue ladies were sitting in the front row. Oh, my goodness, this is it. Were doing this show. And he lined his girls up. Theyre all perfectly dressed. He would go to the first girl and hed whisper something into her ear and say, dont forget, youre the best. His clothes fit me like this is it. This is the fashion that i would want to wear. No zippers, just get in and out over your head. Overnight success. It was a clean look. The simplicity was really needed after the 60s. And it was all american from an allamerican boy. Lets meet our first challenger. So will you enter and sign in, please. Mr. X. Panel, this is mr. X. May i tell you that mr. X is concerned with a product. Now lets show our audience just who our guest is and what his product is. Can i rule out that your name is valentino . You can rule that out. All right. No, im sure if i hear the name, ill know. Its because i dont recognize you on sight. Would the clothing be the new sensation hot pants . Thats it. Felt like the beginning because he was so enthusiastic, and everybody was so charmed with him. He was so young and enticing. You just wanted to be in the room with him. I was 18. I was so innocent. I knew nothing. I was from the midwest. Everyone was unusual for me. Like pat, she was an andy warhol superstar with frizzy hair. Im just wild about andy and andys wild about me the heavenly blisses of his kisses they fill me with ecstasy this was definitely the in crowd. Andy kept saying, oh, this is so in, bob. This is so in. He knew halston from the 1950s when andy was doing ads in windows for bergdorf. He was comfortable in the world of fashion. Hello . Joe eula, please. Its me, joe eula here on the phone. Hi, joe eula. You got me on a good day. You better put it all on tape. Joe was not only the illustrator but a close friend. Halston was very cool, and joe was very hot. We were a team. His desk and my desk were the same desk. He was drawn to people who just displayed their emotions and also have this tremendous aesthetic side. A woman like elsa peretti is really extraordinary. And he believed so much in me, halston. Elsa would be there like drawing things all the time. And halston said, you need to be a jewelry designer. Somehow she made this jewelry for us, which is i had two of these. One was stolen. Why i did jewelry . I was just dropped into it. I did something for fun. It became a success. A run to the left side, no foul given, morgan running. Looking for one hundred. [ kids screaming ] a run to the left side, no foul given. Morgan running. Looking for one hundred. Shes got it [ kids cheering ] woman man have you smeno. D this litter . woman nobody has its unscented vo tidy cats free clean unscented. Powerful odor control with activated charcoal. Free of dyes. Free of fragrances. Unscented odor control like that . Try tidy cats free clean. cause crabfest is on geat red lobster. Ns with nine craveable crab creations. Like our new crab imperial. Now just 15. 99. Or crack into a pound of wildcaught snow crab. Now only 19. 99. Grab your crab crew. Crabfest ends september 1st. Halstons clothes were for a modern time, for a time where womens lifestyle had changed completely. He really saw the future. Elegance and ease, a sense of owning power without being masculine and honoring the body that you have. Basically, you were usually naked underneath. You were free inside your clothes. He took away the cage, and he made things as though you didnt really need the structure as much as you needed the woman. He really based most of his collection on most of us girls. Just had a pin there to hold it up, might be good, huh . Lets see you turn in that. Fabric to halston was like clay to a sculptor. He knew how to use it. And everything was cut on the bias so it spiralled. Basically, bias is cutting fabric on an oblique or 45degree angle. Fabric is usually cut on the straight grain. If youve ever cut anything on the buyias the bias, it flows over the body. Its very hard to sew. Its very hard to control. He would throw a piece of fabric on the floor, cut through it, pick it up, throw it on you, and then it was a dress. Thats genius. Its a dress, just from the way he cut it. I dont know anybody who could do that. Hes the only one. I think if you know fashion history, would write it, id like to have a credit point of saying we cleaned it up a little bit. I have a theory that less becomes more so much. Halston was a man that i met in my life because . Because everything he was doing was great. Every time. Every time. He astonished me. How do you feel when you walk into a restaurant in new york and a lady comes in looking smashing in a halston outfit . Im very proud. Im just very proud if somebody looks good in it, you know. What if she comes in and doesnt look good in it . Then im not so proud. A halston market is in the Better Stores across the country. In new york, its Bergdorf Goodman where he has a boutique in the same spot he started selling hats to rich ladies 15 years ago. This is halston off the rack. The favorite item, an ultra suede sweater. That has broken all previous recordsed. My god, are you ever on time . For real extravagance, the ladies come to halstons own showroom on madison avenue, where super sales woman pat ast, will give them that special treatment. What about pat ast . Somebody people have suggested by using her, youre putting down fashion a bit. Well, if you think that patty is a putt down, but i dont think so. I take her very seriously. And i like to make her glamorous. Halston designs things that are made especially for me, which is the most incredible thing. Because looking at me, you know im not the normal sized woman. I think he appreciated the womans body. I think he appreciated all the different types of women. He loved all the diversity of his models. And you turn around that way so you see a decollete. This is imans fares show. Shes never been in a fashion show before. How do you feel about your first fashion show, iman . Very nervous. Do you think the models are some of the sexy, most beautiful girls in the world . Sometimes. Do you think they should all be in the movies . No. He also loved the idea of being controversial. I remember the cody awards show. He decided it was going to be happening. So anything goes. Andy and halston came up with this idea that it was like a talent show. I played the clarinet. He said, what can you do . What else can you do . The audience, they didnt know what to make of it. The cody awards tend to be a little bit more formal, but halston wanted to be very rev rent, just throw in everything but the kitchen sink, and, by the way, have pat come out of the birthday cake. Happy birthday to me happy birthday to me happy birthday happy birthday he took a chance, a leap of faith to be something that maybe a lot of people think they cant do. He would say, you can have anything you want, youre a good person. You know, that feeling that somebody believes in you. And because of that, you know, he made me stronger. Waterproof. I remember one time we went out west to do a show. And halston said, i want you to come with me. I want you to see something. He rented a car, and you never saw him drive because wed always be in limos. We went way out in the middle of nowhere out there. Not a lot to look at. Sky and earth. And he said, thats where i grew up. This is where i grew up. It would be in the middle of nowhere. Just like farms with the big rolls of hay. He said, i just wanted to come by here. I only lived in iowa for about five minutes, you know . I mean, i moved out of iowa as a young man. It was during the Second World War and my father was in business that took us from one place to the other. So i lived in the lake of ozarks and lived in kentucky, and i lived in missouri. We finally settled in indiana. So i was all over, you know. It was sort of an unsettled time. When you do go back home there is no home in iowa, you see. What else do you think we should go over . Just a little bit of the history. I think that would be good for us to have. Oh, that history crap. Thats all right now. But this is history. The past just doesnt interest me so much. I think you have pretty much i think you have enough. We need a transcript as soon as possible. Halston never looked back. Today and tomorrow were all that mattered. His mother would come and visit, and she always called him halston, and he had changed the pronunciation to halston. But she would correct you. His name is halston. Its a family name. She also used to say, halston had disappeared, but halston was a force to be reckoned with. Darling, you love life and i love you. Ladies and gentlemen, Liza Minnelli. When i met halston, i would just remember him talking and me listening. Hed say, i got it, all right, and just put it on you. It danced with you. Thats it. His clothes danced with you. We were joined at the hip from then on. It was like my dad in a way because when i was a little girl, my father would give me five costumes every year, and it was a dress from an american in paris. And perfectly made. Exactly like for the ladies. And i guess i got into appreciating how clothes could change the way you felt. She dressed only in halston ever. I mean, she still does. Yes. Liza minnelli. Say yes life keeps happening every day and this is halston, who is i think today, wouldnt you say, the bestknown name you shouldnt say best and worst because then other designers get upset. Youre pretty good, halston. Thank you. You would always think, how do i go to that next level . Theres mink and marigold right outside he was looking for a perfume company. Nothings gained if theres nothing tried every single week he was having meetings with revlon, coudi. Mr. Bannon of iff. Hed like to meet with you today if possible. Then finally max factor. And max factor, whos a subsidiary of norton simon. Say yes, yes, i can yes, i will i remember halston saying to andy and me, you know, i really like the norton simon people because theyre all so tall. David mahoney was the chairman of norton simon. And he was tall, good looking and a lot of glamour. We wanted a top perfume line and he was the hottest thing around. I wanted to buy the whole thing just to have him on board for his general knowledge. It seemed like a good match. If he was bought in total under norton simon, hed have the freedom to explore and to develop more of what halston wanted. Explain this to me. When you bought halston, you bought the rights to his name, you bought his designs, you bought everything, for how long . Forever. At the time, it seemed like a huge coup. And all his friends, i mean, including andy and all of us were very happy for him. He told me, jean ogino, werg to be very busy because im going to design furniture, car interiors. Im going to design carpet. Dont you find if you take on that many things that one of your projects is going to suffer . Its rather like growing a tree. Everyone thinks youre an overnight success. Ive worked very hard for 20 years. And, you know, its just a further extension of it. Its just another branch. They all help each other in a curious way. [music playing] vo this is jerry. Jerry has a membership to this gym, but hes not using it. And he has subscriptions to a Music Service he doesnt listen to and five streaming Video Services he doesnt watch. This is jerry learning that hes still paying for this stuff hes not using. Hes seeing his recurring payments in control tower in the wells fargo mobile app. This is jerry canceling a few things. Booyah. This is jerry appreciating the people who made this possible. Oh look, there they are. team member this is we