Halston (2021)

Available on Netflix

Starring Ewan McGregor, Bill Pullman, Rebecca Dayan, and Krysta Rodriguez

Halston is a limited-series Netflix production about the life and death of Roy Halston Frowick (1932-1990), the man behind the Halston fashion franchise.

I’d heard mixed reviews about the series, but ever since I saw the Alexander McQueen exhibition at MOMA, I’ve had a surprising (to me) interest in fashion generally and particularly in the artists behind haute couture.

The Halston series didn’t wow me, but it held my interest throughout. And it got me thinking about it for days afterwards. Knowing nothing about the field, I was asking basic questions, like:

*  Considering the small market for haute couture, why does it even exist?

*  Is it like Formula One racing for auto manufacturers?

*  Marketing is a huge part of the business. How big a role does artistry play in success?

*  How important is the image of the designer?

*   Why do gay men – rather than women or heterosexual men – predominate in this field?

One of these days I’m going to do some research to find the answers. In the meantime, I’ll go to shows and exhibitions and watch biopics.

Halston is several stories in one – all worthy ones. It is the story of Halston, who got his first break when Jackie Kennedy wore one of his hats to her husband’s inauguration and then went on to achieve the American dream of fame and fortune through innovation and hard work. It is the classic modern tragedy of the artist who destroys himself through drugs and hubris. It’s also the story of the rise of American fashion to international stardom, and the story of the insanely promiscuous sexual environment whose epicenter was Club 54 in the 1970s and the scourge of AIDs that followed it.

Bonus: Lots of good performances, including great ones by Ewan McGregor as Halston and Krysta Rodriguez as Liza Minelli.

Critical Reception 

Click here to read a good review by Dana Feldman in Forbes.

You can watch the trailer here.