Since signing his record-breaking deal with Netflix, Ryan Murphy has had a hand in a host of buzzy new films and TV shows that have arrived on the platform — The Politician, Hollywood, Ratched, The Boys in the Band, The Prom — but the best may be yet to come. His latest offering is Halston, a flamboyant five-part miniseries that dramatises the spectacular rise and fall of the iconic American designer, born Roy Halston Frowick. Set in the seedy, low-lit New York City of the 1970s and 1980s, it follows him from his humble beginnings to early successes, creative crises and hedonistic nights at Studio 54 with illustrious friends and collaborators that included Liza Minnelli and jewellery designer Elsa Peretti.
Who will star in Halston?
Ewan McGregor, his hair slicked back, his face swamped by sunglasses and his fingers permanently clutching a cigarette, transforms into the titular legend who carefully crafted his image. Rebecca Dayan takes on the role of Elsa Peretti, a model and Halston muse who became a sensation as a jewellery designer, and Krysta Rodriguez is Liza Minnelli, the Oscar-winning actor who was one of the designer’s closest friends.
There’s also Gian Franco Rodriguez as Halston’s lover Victor Hugo, David Pittu as illustrator Joe Eula, Sullivan Jones as boutique manager Ed Austin and Rory Culkin as Joel Schumacher, the film director who once worked with Halston. Finishing off the talented cast is Bill Pullman as businessman David Mahoney, Kelly Bishop as Eleanor Lambert, the publicist who put American fashion on the map, and Vera Farmiga as Adele, a part that still remains under wraps.
What is the plot of Halston?
Based on Simply Halston, a 1991 biography by Steven Gaines, the show tracks Halston’s career from his creation of the pillbox hat Jacqueline Kennedy wore to John F Kennedy’s presidential inauguration in 1961 to his quest for funding as he moved away from millinery and into designing womenswear. He soon opened a boutique on Madison Avenue, experimented with Ultrasuede and dressed some of New York City’s most glamorous women. He would eventually go into partnership with Norton Simon Industries and release a perfume with a teardrop-shaped bottle designed by Peretti, before a tragic downfall precipitated by drug abuse, a short temper and questionable business decisions.
Early stills from the series offer more clues about what to expect. There are images of Halston dancing at Studio 54, arriving in Paris for the legendary 1973 Battle of Versailles fashion show (in which French and American designers went head to head) and holding court at his plush office in Olympic Tower on Fifth Avenue, a paradise of giant mirrors, red furnishings and stunning views.
Who will direct Halston?
The show is directed by Daniel Minahan, who has previously helmed episodes of Game of Thrones (2011 to 2019), American Crime Story (2016 to present), Hollywood (2020) and Ratched (2020).
Who designed the costumes for Halston?
Jeriana San Juan is responsible for the incredible costumes. Ranging from minimalist to outlandish, they include printed kaftans, block-coloured shirtdresses, slinky gowns, velvet jackets and sequin-strewn tops, not to mention the feathered and bejewelled looks we see at Versailles.
Is there a trailer for Halston?
Opening in Olympic Tower, the trailer for Halston takes us from the streets of New York City to the designer’s workroom, revolutionary fashion shows, Studio 54 and his summer home in Montauk, Long Island. We watch as he struggles to find his signature aesthetic, perfects his own look, dresses Minnelli, is declared a genius and then loses control, falling into a spiral of hard partying and illicit substances.
When will Halston be released on Netflix?
Halston landed on the streaming service on 14 May.
Editor
Radhika Seth
