HALSTON
HALSTON
Superstar Designer’s Legacy Enduring Fashion Themes, Classic Fragrances
MIAMI LAKES, FL – Only the Age of Aquarius could have produced a designer of such mythic proportions as Halston. Or could it be that Roy Halston Frowick, from Des Moines, Iowa, engineered the entire decade of the ’70s for his own amusement – and his own legacy?
As a force within the fashion industry, Halston’s aura almost eclipsed the reputation of his label. He was the first, true American superstar designer, bringing casual, but luxurious fashion to an enthusiastic audience. At the same time, he was uncanny about cultivating the first designer-as-celebrity reputation, counting among his friends Liza Minnelli, Cher, Lauren Bacall, Andy Warhol and other Studio 54 revelers.
Today, the tremors from the man and his legend are still impacting the fashion world. Jersey, cashmere, and even Ultrasuede are recurring themes on contemporary runways.
From the Top: The ’50s & ’60s
The Halston legend began, appropriately enough, at the top – with hats. After attending the Art Institute of Chicago, Halston designed and sold millinery from inside a Chicago beauty parlor. His best clients were elite dignitaries and celebrities, among them Gloria Swanson and Kim Novak. Foreshadowing, perhaps? It was here that Halston was “discovered” by Lilly Daché who brought him to New York in 1957.
A year later, Halston began a 10-year relationship with Bergdorf Goodman. At first, he designed custom millinery for Bergdorf’s, including such innovations as the scarf hat and Jackie O’s inseparable pillbox. His creations were also quite fanciful, incorporating organdy hair-dryer bonnets, fringed lampshades and mirrored hoods into his designs. During his tenure at Bergdorf’s, Halston won the first of five Coty Awards, this one for innovation in millinery. Then, in 1966, Bergdorf’s put him in charge of his own in-store boutique, an opportunity that represented his first venture into apparel design.
Halston’s clothes were a hit.
So much so, that in 1968, Halston bid farewell to Bergdorf’s and opened Halston Limited, selling apparel and accessories to stores throughout the country, including his own boutique inside Bloomingdale’s. But unlike his fanciful headgear, the apparel designs under Halston’s own label represented a radical, 180-degree turn in mood.
Less is More: The ’70s
Halston’s apparel championed the classic simplicity of soft, unconstructed, pared-down design that would become the hallmark of his career. His clothes were sophisticated, casual and easy to wear. He revolutionized cashmere sweaters by taking them to the floor, brought back turtlenecks, evolved halter-tops into eveningwear and paired short shorts or slim pants with tunics, wrap jackets, coats and capes. In 1974, Halston was inducted into the Coty Hall of Fame, the most prestigious honor in the American fashion industry.
Having risen to the upper echelon of apparel, Halston turned his creative energies toward the fashion of fragrance. In 1975, Halston made headlines with the launch of his signature fragrance, Halston for women. A year later, Halston was back in the news for the simultaneous launch of twin men’s fragrances, Z-14 and 1-12. In each instance, Halston turned to Elsa Peretti, a respected jewelry designer and former Halston model, to develop the packaging designs. Halston was doubly rewarded for his efforts when the Fragrances Foundation honored both Halston and Z-14 with its “Most Successful Launch of the Year” distinction.
To Dress America: The ’80s
The turn of the decade also mirrored a turn in Halston’s attention. From his custom-made background, Halston began expressing a desire to “dress America.” This desire took shape when Halston signed a licensing agreement with JCPenney to create a stylish, yet moderately priced, line of apparel under the Halston III label.
In 1991, a year after his death, the Council of Fashion Designers of America honored Halston with a special tribute and retrospective. But it wasn’t until last year that perhaps the most fitting acknowledgment occurred when a new line of apparel bearing the designer’s name debuted.
Can a rebirth of the Age of Aquarius be far behind?
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 and was the second biggest selling perfume of all time.
Airline uniform designs
Halston was very influential in airline uniform designs. His designs were featured on the now-defunct carrier Braniff. His designs were more muted than the airline’s past uniform designs by Emilio Pucci. 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”.
BOLDFACERS
BOLDFACERS
Spring’s Stylemakers :April 2,2009
Boston’s fashion glitterati road-tripped to the runway at Neiman Marcus Natick for Boldfacers.com’s first fashion show. The Spring Stylemakers Fashion Show, hosted by Neiman Marcus Natick and Boldfacers.com attracted some 350 guests, decked out in trendy one-shoulder frocks and purple velvet smoking jackets. The theme of the evening? The power of the individual — common ground for Boldfacers and Neiman Marcus — and how it is expressed through fashion. Twelve stylish Boldfacers were invited to create outfits at Neiman Marcus that reflected their fashion flare and fire; models from Maggie Inc. were then asked to be that Boldfacer. That’s what we call dressing the part — on the catwalk…and in life.
Photographs by Chris Sanchez & Randy Gross
Boldfacer Stylemaker Participant and owner of MIZU Salon Elan Sassoon and his wife Adriana, Personal Stylist /Designer.
ADRIANA SASSOON
The backstage of : Behind the Man of Style.We got there early in the morning and, meanwhile Elan and My daughter went out for a walk around the mall I was left with a nice gentleman. Whith his help I was able to find all the materials to create the 3 looks for the event.I was happy with my choices.We had some changes added by Lydia Santangelo, who works for Neiman Marcus.So these are the final results shown ate the Runaway…………………I hope you enjoy.
My FIRST LOOK: Whasn’t quite like that but…………. “A refined Jet Setter on the way to Saint-Tropez”.
Black shortz, a White shirt whith black stripes, a pair of Black Mocassins,GUCCI bag.(Accessorize your bag, with a small scarf , with the bright colors of summer, place the scarf on the hadle of the bag).A pair of black shades is a must.
My SECOND LOOK : ” Walking around town”.
Wasn’t quite like that, but anyhow……….
Rock Republic jeans with some Swarovisk buttons, the lavender Shirt with a floral pattern and the shoes a pair of Black mocassins.Accessorize the look with a off white scarf on the side of the waist line, a inner purple shirt . The shirt should be worn loose on the waist, and to finalize the look a lavender wool sweater.
My Third look: Whasn’t quite like that but…………
“A night out in Sao Paulo”.
Beautiful, off white vest with a off white pair of paints, a off white belt, a black velvet pair of shoes for some contrast .Acessorize, no shirt, only a vest with a black sequim tie, with a beautiful pair of blacelets.Lots of gliter!
www.boldfacers.com/index.cfm?page=happening&happening_id=46
www.neimanmarcus.com
ADRIANA SASSOON
ADRIANA SASSOON
A ex-top model Elite e designer Adriana Sassoon, de passagem por São Paulo, comemorou com um jantar e também com muitas informações importantes sobre o estado da arte em Design, Moda e Ações Ambientais no Brasil.
Detentora da griffe Sassi, ela expressa sua forte convicção. “Se eu posso fazer a diferença fazendo algo que eu adoro e sendo capaz de ajudar quem precisa, é então uma maravilhosa realização.” Esta preocupação social é marca registrada de Cláudio, seu pai e mentor intelectual da AME, uma entidade filantrópica do Jabaquara que cuida de 350 crianças e jovens carentes.
Presentes no jantar, Clara Oh e Frederico Viebig, com suas idéias de sinalização ambiental, reciclagem e sustentalidade puderam ouvir junto com Adriana, Mauro Camargo e Paulo Correia que pincelaram as idéias que norteiam o excelente programa não governamental VivaMundo que se desdobra em campanha de 21 ítens de mobilização ecológica urbana que o Instituto Triangulo lançou que de fato mudam tudo.
Adriana embarca dia 10 de março e tem perspectivas de formatar um projeto de negócios com raízes e desdobramentos no exterior (o que já é muito consagrado principalmente envolvendo o design amazônico extraído das ervas, dos aromas e das frutas de polpa, do Pantanal, do eco design, da madeira e da flora e fauna nacional, etc.) Ela fala em design de moda, da beleza, do acessório que envolve campanhas bem feitas com atitudes comportamentais de mudança e de contrapartida social para minimizar e erradicar pobreza.
Copyright © 2009 ADRIANA SASSOON .All Rights Reserved.
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