Last night I watched the entire “Halston” Netflix production. Halston was the STAR of the 70s. I was just starting my career as I went to Anne Klein in 1973 and Halston had already become the most important designer in NYC……I though Ewan Mcgregor did an excellent job of becoming Halston, not an easy role or person. Actually, everyone was excellent and most looked very similar to the people they portrayed. For the most part, from what I know and heard, the movie was very accurate. I knew of these people, and they were bigger than life. What I didn’t know was how Halston destroyed these relationships because of his ego. It’s a tale I have seen played over and over again in the fashion industry……I recommend this look behind the scenes of one of NY’s most famous and infamous designers……..A side story….Jac was once booked to do a Halston show in Punta Cana with 6 or 7 other models and was very excited to go and be a Halston model…..she was still very young, but had the Halston look…..thin, tall willowy…..however…….when she told Bill Blass about the booking he refused to let her go, and he himself called her agency to have them cancel the booking! Jac worked a lot for Blass and he protected her…Halston was not friendly with any other designer, which you get loud and clear in the movie. Blass told Jac they were all druggies, and she would be expected to partake in the “fun”. That was the last time Halston tried to book her. You don’t refuse Halston…..ever!
“HALSTON”
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Good for Bill Blass protecting Jac like that. I remember that you said Jac’s mother went with her for her first year of modeling and then Jac wanted to go on her own. I felt for her mother leaving a girl so young, even though she was probably 18, and thought of how she must have worried at first. Even though I have all boys, my husband and I would have been more protective of a girl than we were with our sons.
Thanks for weighing in on this. My husband and I binged it in two sessions, and no one was more surprised that my husband was interested in it that I was! I thought the series was really well done, and I was particularly fascinated by the transition from boutique fashion houses to large licensing agreements that seemed to be one of Halston’s biggest legacies to the business of fashion. I was a bit too young for Ultrasuede, but I remember how crazy women of my mother’s generation were over it. I just recently gave away the ivory plastic heart jewel box that I learned from the show I was supposed to keep my cocaine in! I laughed so hard at that.
CAROL If that was an original Halston/Elsa Peretti you should have kept it!
My roommate dated a Halston cosmetics sales manager and we were always getting free samples of the fragrance products/gift sets. It was in the late 70’s. It was a promotional item that looked exactly like that in size and shape. So many things I wish I had kept over the years, but at some point, it’s too much. You’re clearing out your warehouse, so you know what I’m saying! I used it for hair clips for 40 some years. It gave me its full measure of pleasure.
Louis, a documentary Battle at Versailles narrated by Stanley Tucci, Donna Karin gives an interview as well. Thought you might enjoy it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50l2ppmGdqQ
Regarding the Halston movie, I wished they had concentrated more on his creative talent. He was a Master cutter as well as draper and it was glossed over. Amazing that he didn’t understand that he was selling his name forever For someone that was a control freak that was mind blowing! His line as well as his name was cheapened in the end.
In another documentary called Halston, once Playtex (who wound up owning Halston in the end), the CFO said they sold off all of the dress archives for $25.00. Halston had taped every single runway show, the China trip, Versailles, etc. and they thought the tapes had no value and erased them and sold the blank tapes for $1.00. The CFO was asked why didn’t Playtex donate the archives to a Museum…………..dead silence! I knew this part would be familiar to you!
I’ve seen the documentary, and didn’t love it. So many untold stories. Jac was asked to be interviewed, but when she found out the gist of the story they were telling she said no. Jac was one of the 40 models at Versaille. She was 17. She had plenty of stories about the fighting between the designers. Halston was a real diva brat and didn’t get along with anyone. She said how terrible the French designers were to the Americans. The conditions were terrible, no food and no bathrooms. The American models had to wait in cold damp areas waiting for the French to finish rehearsing, but their segments were so elaborate they took all day. The Americans were fuming. Kay Thompson was hired, because of Liza, to stage the American segment, but everything that could go wrong went wrong. She had huge fights with Halston who threatened to pack up his dresses and leave…..The movie shows how the audience threw up their gold pamphlets after Halston’s segment, but that’s not what happened. After Oscar, which was the last segment, was over that’s when the audience went wild and threw their pamphlets into the air in honor of the Americans….They were a huge success. The entire American show of all 5 designers didn’t last longer that 35 minutes. It was fast, and Kay out of desperation used all of the hottest American music played on a boom box over the loud speakers. They used a plain black backdrop, which ended up being perfect. The clothes and models were the stars….not like the French segments where the production was the star and the models and clothes were out shown. The 2 1/2 hour french show came off boring and old. There is nothing worse in the fashion world to be considered BORING and OLD. It was clear to everyone, the Americans won the challenge to the embarrassment of the French. Jac went to the after dinner on the arm of Tom Fallon, Bill Blass’ young and very handsome right arm assistant. She didn’t wear Blass and told Tom she was sorry about that, but he said “honey, the way you look it’s fine with me!”. Jac wore a long dress from a designer she had worked with in NYC. It was a long fitted nude mesh slip dress completely scattered in aurora and crystal stones…..She looked nude….similar to the look Marilyn Monroe wore to JFK’s birthday. She said when they walked into the hall of mirrors where the dinner was held in that dress with her short blond hair….she just glittered under all of the chandeliers. I’m sure she was something to see. Wish I had been there to see her, but we hadn’t even met yet!
Oh Louis. Jac had to have looked spectacular! I posted a picture that I think is Jac from the Bill Blass section of the documentary on your website under your description of the Halston on Netflix.
That was criminal, and just goes to show how little they respected the man and his work. I may have said this before, but when I left AK the owners sold off the complete library of over 20 years with original AK clothes from when she opened the company. Donna ans I curated the library like it was in the Met. When we found out they sold it to a discount store for peanuts we went wild, but it was done. The designer who replaced me didn’t want it. He was a fool who only lasted two seasons, not even a year!
Can’t see the post? but there are two pics of Jac in the docu. and one is at the beginning of the Bill Blass segment. She opened the segment in a white suit with white fur collar and a hat with a veil. She was with a model name Carol Brant. Jac was the focal point who dismissed Carol by leaving her standing there, moved to the center stage and brought out the outher models with a hand jester…then walked off…it was all very haughty. The other pic is her in Oscar in a long white chiffon gown.
Great story, Louis!
I have often wondered about some of the models on the designer runways.
They looked so sickly thin and really spooky! No smiles…
I think that is why I enjoyed watching you with the QVC models. So refreshing!
The models were always smiling and laughing with you, as they very professionally modeled your beautiful clothes. Jac was the best – so elegant and graceful.
Thanks for sharing your stories, Louis!
Patty in Houston
Dear Patty, when I did runway shows from 1974 to 1992 I used the “super models” they were absolutely beautiful girls with perfect figures….certainly not sickly thin or spooky…..that came later with grunge. Today’s runwayfor the most part are nothing special….except for certain shows like Dolce & Gabanna who still use the most beautiful models….look at Youtube for their shows