Halston was born Roy Halston Frowick on April 23, 1932 in Des Moines, Iowa. After moving to Chicago in 1952, Halston became a window dresser for Carson Pirie Scott department store. In 1954, Andre Basil provides Halston with a hat display in his Ambassador Hotel hair salon. A few years later Halston moved to New York in 1958, and began to work for Lilly Dache (by 1959 he is working for Bergdorf Goodman). Halston's first hat is featured on the cover of Harper's Bazaar in 1960. His success as a clothing designer did not happen overnight, in fact Halston's first showing of ready-to-wear clothing at Bergdorf Goodman only received polite reviews in June 1966. Halston sought to infuse a level of youthful flair to his fashions but wanted to avoid "youth trendiness". This was difficult in a time when the influences were dominated by the mods and hippies of the youth movements. "I didn't want to make clothes for kids. I wanted feminine clothes for women between 22 and 55," he said in 1966. However, by the early seventies the direction of fashion evolved once again, and this time Halston's designs were a hit. He looked to the past eras like the thirties and re-created the slim, understated lines of the Mainbocher couture frocks made for the Duchess of Windsor, and then added a bit of Hollywood opulence to the mix. Halston's early designs were each constructed with a minimum of cut pieces, and this two-seamed assemblage created the streamlined silhouette that became Halston's signature look. He eliminated inner structures and linings to enhance the clean lines. Socialite Lily Auchincloss, one of Halston's clients in 1971, said "Halston's clothes are terrific in every way...easy to wear, understated and yet they enhance the woman." His philosophy was to infuse practicality with an bit of effortless glamour and relaxed sexuality.
"Halston's proportions were perfect. His clothes followed the shape of a woman's body without being tight; they held the body while still retaining a certain langour." -Grace Mirabella(Photos by: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Richard Avedon, Henry Grossman, Andy Warhol, Barry Berenson, Stan Papich, Bill King, Francesco Scavullo, Raymundo de Larrain, Hiro)
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