Halston

When one thinks of Roy Halston Frowick - known in the fashion world simply as Halston - the first thing that comes to mind is simplicity. A talented fashion designer who got his start in the 1950's as a co-designer for Lilly Dache, a hatmaker and prominent fashion designer in that decade, Halston had set his sights high and established a name for himself in the 60's when First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was seen wearing Halston's famous pillbox hat design to her husband's inauguration. From there, he had nowhere to go but up.

Rejecting the ethnic peasant looks popularized by European designerss, Halston stormed his way into a 1973 fashion show at Versailles with a shocking contribution to the world of womenswear. While retaining the ideals of femininity and beauty, Halston's designs embodied minimalism and conceptual art, showcasing unique and stunning attire for every high-profile client. That same year, he joined forces with Norton Simon Industries to produce menswear and perfume, but since he refused to put his name on anything he did not personally design and oversee, he met with only limited success. Yet Halston was not satisfied with dressing only the upper-crust; he strived to dress America's everywoman.

At the time, a high-end fashion guru designing clothes for women with all levels of income was a controversial move, but Halston was determined to provide women everywhere with clothing that they could look and feel glamorous in without breaking the bank. Furthermore, an interview with the New York Times revealed that he also wanted to dress women who were not model-thin by providing clothes that were fashionable, current, but flattering to women with larger figures.

Perhaps one of Halton's most famous garments was the UltraSuede shirtwaist dress. The shirt-waist dress was already a well-known fashion choice, present since the early 1900's, but Halston's version, released in 1972, was constructed with a machine-washable material that the average woman could afford, maintain, and feel confident wearing. With his versatile clothing options and fashionable eye, Halston attracted clients not only from suburbia, but also from the Hollywood A-list, dressing famous names like Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger, Lauren Bacall, and Elizabeth Taylor.

Halston's bold designs and appreciation for simplistic beauty assured that his label quickly became a household name. Even after his death in 1990, his bold designs from the 1970's were still considered comfort food and timeless pleasures in the fashion world.