Halston

Halston is a 2019 American biographical documentary film written and directed by Frédéric Tcheng and produced by CNN Films and Amazon Originals. The film tells the story of the rise and fall of Roy Halston Frowick, one of America’s most prominent fashion designers. The film features commentary by Liza Minnelli, Marisa Berenson, Joel Schumacher, Naeem Khan, Pat Cleveland, Karen Bjornson and other former models known as The Halstonettes. Appearing in archival footage are Halston, Jacqueline Kennedy, Brooke Shields, Andy Warhol and members of his family. The film premiered to generally positive reviews at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2019. It was selected as the spotlight documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival, and had a limited theatrical release in May 2019, before its international release in June. Synopsis The film tells the story of Roy Halston Frowick, better known as Halston, and the fashion empire he built in the 70s and lost in the 80s. Framed by the fictional storyline of a researcher digging through archives to understand Halston’s downfall, the film begins with his early days working at Bergdorf Goodman as a milliner for society ladies. One of his most notable designs during that period was First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's iconic pillbox hat for her husband's presidential inauguration in 1961. Halston opened his own fashion house in 1968, and quickly gained popularity for his free-flowing clothes that appealed to a liberated female clientele. A 1973 financial deal with the Norton Simon Inc. conglomerate solidified Halston’s place as America’s premier designer. It also allowed him to design his first fragrance, which became a runaway hit. Halston himself became a household name - pioneering the idea of fashion as media and of the designer as a star. His empire grew to include dozens of licenses. In the late 70s, he became a regular at Studio 54 and drugs took a toll on his output. As Halston‘s behavior grew more erratic, he became more and more isolated in his Olympic Tower offices. In the early 80s, in an attempt to “dress America,” Halston announced a partnership with JCPenney. The move, the first such collaboration between a high fashion house and a mass retailer, drew ire in the fashion world, causing Bergorf Goodman to drop Halston from its store.