Halston

Halston 1932-90, American fashion designer, b. Des Moines, Iowa as Roy Halston Frowick; attended Indiana Univ. and the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1958 he moved to New York City, designing hats for Lilly Daché and later (1959-68) millinery and clothing for the fashionable Bergdorf Goodman department store. There he created several distinctive styles, most notably the pillbox hat for Jacqueline Kennedy. Opening his own salon in 1968, Halston became one of the most acclaimed designers of the 1970s, a favorite of movie stars, art-world denizens, and the general public, and a disco-era celebrity in his own right. His designs were classically simple, elegant, and chic. He introduced Ultrasuede, popularized the cashmere twinset, caftan, halter dress, shirtwaist, spiral skirt, and knee-length pants, and added perfumes and luggage to his label. He also designed costumes for the Martha Graham Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and various stage and film productions.

Bibliography: See biographies by S. S. Gaines (1991) and F. Rottman and E. Gross (1999); study by P. Mears (2001).