Introduction
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Roy Halston Frowick is iconic American fashion designer of the 1970s.
He is known to produce sexy, elegant and minimalist designs. Born a mid-western, originates from Iowa, Roy Halston Frowick began his career in fashion by designing hats. The young boy from Iowa later attended college at the Art Institute of Chicago. He often took night classes to accommodate his job as a fashion merchandiser at Carson Pirie Scott. Soon after, Halton met Andre Basil, a hairdresser, he decided to display Halston’s hats in his salon. A life changing moment for the young designer which later that year would influence him to move to New York to take a design position in a high-end boutique with a milliner Lily Dache. The city was different jungle for the young designer but with his wild and hopeful heart, fear was not with him. His first year in New York became quite successful, after all, him meeting a few important people and most especially the head milliner of Bergdorf Goodman, Halston popularity skyrocketed. He since then dressed alluring and well-known women of the world. These influential women are Jacqueline Kennedy of which made the pill-box hat a sensation, Rita Hayworth, who was the bad girl of 1970s, Liza Minnelli, an entertainer extraordinaire and Diana Vreeland, Harpers Bazaar Editor in Chief. “Halston is those often told stories, boy from a farm making it big in the city” -Anne Slowey, Elle fashion news director Halston’s early influences came from when he was just a boy. He enjoyed making clothes, especially altering them for his mother and sister. Coming from humble beginnings, shopping was not a necessity for the Halston household. Throughout the years he mastered his cuts, and skills to become the designer he is known today. Halston learned with every mentor and with every job he held. Like a sponge, he soaked up everything he could know to understand the big city. He would venture out from designing hats and start designing women’s dresses as early as 1966. Halston would not be known as a household dress designer until 1972. This was the year he debuted his shirtwaist dress and as follows many important innovations in fashion. Dominated by this infamous wild lifestyle during the prime days of studio 54. Times are electrified by the 70s disco, drugs, and social culture. Halston died with lung cancer with complications of the AIDS virus in 1990. |
Critical Analysis
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The 1970s is famously known to be the experimental time of the century.
The decade was filled with subcultures; disco balls which over-powered economic struggle, horrible presidents, and a culture explosion filled of rich color and technological advances in fashion. The industry of entertainment became much more popular with the release of film, Star Wars. This was becoming an unlikely influential film for fashion. The film Saturday Night Fever also defined the decade perfectly in culture and style. Both movies catapulted fashion in sense where it raised awareness of fantasy and social consciousness to society. The fashion styles of the 1970s were also influenced by the hippie movement. Bell-bottom pants, turtleneck shirts, platformshoes, leisure suits and Mohawk hairstyles are symbolic. Music was a form of self-expression, as they progressed, so would style of the people that worethem. In Music, the creation of heavy metal genre originated from 1970s popularly known as hard rock music. Many sported the fashion statement of bighair, torn jeans, eyeliner, combat boots, and jackets with metal embellishments. Technology also was keeping up with society, the early innovators of the Personal Computers like Apple Company and Microsoft was founded during the 70s. An invention that single handedly advanced mankind into the dot com era. The Internet would revolutionize the world and become one of the most successful platforms designers of the future. Halston, who was known to be ahead of his time, dreamt of the possibility his designs, would be accessible and available just about anywhere. I believe the American designer would attain great success if he were to market his brand in the Internet generation. The 1970s can be defined as a decade of innovators, where creations are being introduced almost every year. In Fashion, it was only the beginning for designers, for Roy Halston Frowick, his reign lasted from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. During the 20 years, he served to be the most influential fashion designer of his time. Halston who designed minimalist, romantic, sexy yet elegant dresses became the staple outfit of the glamour and disco nightlife of the 1970s. He more or so elevated most humble shapes with ease with luxurious fabrics and rigorous modernity seen in one of his most loved design, the Ultra suede shirtdress. He is known to be unpretentious; design inexpensive dresses and supported practicality. “To Halston, casual chic meant going back to basic in luxurious fabrics,” says, Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, a Fashion Historian. (Bio) He understood theater, special effects, extravagance, and elegance. All of these elements, most especially theatre inspires him. Halston’s inspiration was his friends, celebrity women that dominated the 1970s social circuit. Liza Minnelli, who is an entertainer, wore his most lavish designs, sequined and bold of color. Martha Graham a choreographer/modern dancer, he designed dance costumes that moved with the body and fit like a glove. Lastly Jacqueline Kennedy the most sought out first lady in politics wore his modern hat designs. Often put in his designs, performers in theatre like dancers served as inspiration to Halston. He adored the ballet, never forgets the anatomy of a human body. He glorifies the lines on the garments to fit someone cleverly with no strain on the dress. His dress design is favored because it is like another skin. What I found impressive is that he never deviates from the human body. In fact, he glorifies it, the lines of it. Cut so perfectly, his garment will have no strain because it stays put just like second skin. Another influential figure to Halston’s aesthetic is McCardell. She also shares the same philosophy as the American designer that clothes should be comfortable and affordable. Halston’s design is dead-on rendition of the McCardell 1938 dress. The Monastic is a shift-like, untailored, loose sleeve, patch pockets dress. McCardell belted the dress to create shape the silhouette of a woman’s body. Halston did the same with his Ultra suede wrap dress, a functional outfit that allows woman to get out of their clothes with ease. |
Influence
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Halston did to American fashion is what Andy Warhol did to American art. He tore down its exclusivity, embraced its mass appeal and capitalized in its commercial opportunity, which has made him a celebrity powerhouse and a designer all together. He and Andy Warhol were great of friends and truly supported each other creatively. When Andy Warhol would come up with an eccentric art piece, Halston in return would make a rendition in clothing. Halston is an iconic designer because he has always been ahead of the curve. He was the first designer to fully license himself as a brand before society was ready to share fashion. Halston made it possible for women in all level of income to involve in fashion like never before. The example he set is beyond business and fashion, paved the way for future to designers to enjoy the successes of the licensing frenzy. The business savvy designer wanted his name to be in everything, encouraged dressing up in his work from head to toe. He will furnish your home, and everything you may possibly need as long as it made by Halston.
Isaac Mizrahi, Diane Von Furstenberg and Ralph Rucci would be among the few designers living today that was greatly influenced by Halston. Isaac Mizrahi known to favor Halston’s method of cutting rich fabric into easy shapes. Mizrahi’s satin pajama pants and the “how-low-can-you-go” sling back slip dress were of Halston’s influence. The famous wrap dresses and immaculate prints of Diane Von Furstenberg were comparable cuts to Halston’s Ultra suede dress. Both designs are different, the influence comes from the knowledge that came after the popularity of Halston’s Ultra suede dress. Designers became a household name after that debut, smart designer thereafter, would follow the trend and success of the functional design. Last but not least, Ralph Rucci, an artist and American designer, particularly known as Chado Ralph Rucci. Rucci said on the Ultra suede documentary about Halston, “I was with him one time, and he did something that completely amazed me, he is the only designer til this day that I know can look at a fabric, visualize it in his head, and cut it right on the spot, but fit perfectly on a mannequin. Do you know any designer that can do that? I don’t.” As said by Polly Mellen, Fashion Editor Vogue and Harpers Bazaar, “Halston was so influential that many designers and important public figures admired him as a person and his work.” “Because he understood the ballet, he understood the body. Halston was not just the stylist, he could drape, he could design, he could cut. He had done his homework it was instinctive with his hands from his head to his heart to his woman. He never ever joke about woman who was obese, he said, “I understand woman whose bodies aren't perfect. He was first and he made them look glamorous he made my mother's clothes my mother weighs 250 pounds she felt beautiful you look beautiful in it.” |
Photo Gallery
Work Cited
"Roy Halston Frowick." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
Minnelli, L.. “Fashion: Halston: 1932-1990.” Vogue 01 Jul 1990; 180, 62-62, 64, 65, 68. ProQuest. 23 Aug. 2014 .
Loew, Edith. "Fashion: Halston: Style...and Something More." Vogue Jun 01 1980: 160,160, 161, 162, 163, 237, 238.
ProQuest. 23 Aug. 2014 .
"Vogue's View: Halston Magic." Vogue Jun 01 1982: 160. ProQuest. 23 Aug. 2014 .
"Movies: Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston - Vogue." Movies: Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston - Vogue. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
<http://www.vogue.com/culture/article/vd-movies-ultrasuede-in-search-of-halston/#1>.
Images
"Fashion: Halston Revisited." Vogue Aug 01 1996: 258,258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265. ProQuest. 25 Aug. 2014 .
Steele, Valerie, and Robert Nippoldt. Fashion Designers A-Z: The Collection of the Museum at FIT: Prada Edition. Köln: Taschen, 2012. Print.
Franzen-Sheehan, Abigail, Lesley Frowick, Geralyn Huxley, Corinne LaBalme, Valerie Steele, and Nicholas Chambers. Halston & Warhol:
Silver & Suede. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Minnelli, L.. “Fashion: Halston: 1932-1990.” Vogue 01 Jul 1990; 180, 62-62, 64, 65, 68. ProQuest. 23 Aug. 2014 .
Loew, Edith. "Fashion: Halston: Style...and Something More." Vogue Jun 01 1980: 160,160, 161, 162, 163, 237, 238.
ProQuest. 23 Aug. 2014 .
"Vogue's View: Halston Magic." Vogue Jun 01 1982: 160. ProQuest. 23 Aug. 2014 .
"Movies: Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston - Vogue." Movies: Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston - Vogue. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
<http://www.vogue.com/culture/article/vd-movies-ultrasuede-in-search-of-halston/#1>.
Images
"Fashion: Halston Revisited." Vogue Aug 01 1996: 258,258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265. ProQuest. 25 Aug. 2014 .
Steele, Valerie, and Robert Nippoldt. Fashion Designers A-Z: The Collection of the Museum at FIT: Prada Edition. Köln: Taschen, 2012. Print.
Franzen-Sheehan, Abigail, Lesley Frowick, Geralyn Huxley, Corinne LaBalme, Valerie Steele, and Nicholas Chambers. Halston & Warhol:
Silver & Suede. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.