mufaarlo: July 2010

As an avid follower of Halston since I was twelve years old given my obsession with anything and everything seventies, you could imagine my excitement when Harvey Weinstein announced the re-launch of Halston that would begin showing for Fall/ Winter 2010.

Although the past few years there have been designers in and out of the house, Weinstein, co-owner of the label, announced with confidence Marios Schwab will be heading the house as Creative Director. The other big announcement to follow was Sarah Jessica Parker would be heading the Halston Heritage label as Creative Director. Halston Heritage, easy. Halston Heritage and Sarah Jessica Parker, sounds splendid without any issues. However, acting as Creative Director for HALSTON in contemporary times is a very large shoe to fill. Whether or not Marios Schwab can fill those shoes is still up in the air.
After reviewing Schwab’s Spring/ Summer 2010 collection, the collection before becoming Creative Director at Halston, I was not convinced he could rejuvenate Halston’s soul. A soul that embodied the definition of chic and glamorous in perhaps the most hedonistic decade of the twenty first century, a soul that has not been in production since 1990. Schwab’s Spring/Summer 2010 collection had me thrown. It was inspired by costume design, which was prevalent in the poorly constructed, un-flattering, not fully wearable pieces. His color palette had a skewed image, blending soft white chiffons with forest greens and violets. He awkwardly mixed pleated taffeta with bunched up chiffon to create some form of a skirt. Plain and simple: it did not flatter even the one hundred pound, six foot model. There in lies the issue. Schwab was missing all of the credentials Halston is a legend for and that is tailoring technique.

A little background on the house of Halston: Roy Frowick Halston began his career as a milliner, often creating hats for sophisticated and high society woman. One of his biggest clients was Jackie O’ Nasis, he is most notably known for created her “pillbox” hat. After getting a job at Bergdorf Goodman where he displayed windows, Halston began displaying his hats thus growing a clientele, which would soon lead him into the apparel industry. Shortly after, the Halston label launched in 1968. He worked with silk jersey and made ultra suede a commodity among the fashion industry. His pieces were simple, often playing with asymmetrical cuts, gathering, pleating and ruching. And have course many embellishments.

But it wasn’t the subtle colors and soft fabrics that he was most noted for, it was his ability to flatter any woman no matter what her size. He didn’t make the Halston “girl” squeeze into a corset nor make her swallow in a sheath. One gown I particularly love and will forever have the image planted in my brain is a long sleeve green silk gown cut on bias created with one pattern. Not only was the man a visionary genius but a technical one as well. After his success with apparel he branched out to other areas including accessories and fragrance. His then pal Elsa Peretti, the famed jewelry designer, designed his fragrance bottle and belts for his line; he even branched out to costume design. Halston’s success hit a short stop when he decided to create a mass-market line for JC Penny. All of the big players in the market pulled his label off the shelves refusing to be associated with mass-market production. Just like most of the independent labels, a large corporation eventually bought out Halston. After losing his label and becoming diagnosed with AIDS, Halston moved to California where he resided until he died in 1990. His legacy will live on forever though as being one of the greatest American couturiers.

The issue with the Halston label to date is that Marios Schwab is thrusting the Halston line into contemporary times as if the label never stopped producing. A step needs to be taken back and the Halston label needs to be reviewed not as a whole, but individually. What key elements could he bring from Halston seventies to Halston millennium? He needs to think what would the Halston woman in 2010 be wearing? During the label’s launch at the Fall/ Winter 2010 show, Schwab described the now Halston woman, “She is open minded. She is the daughter of the original Halston woman”. Open minded, indeed. However that does not mean we throw on embellishments on wool coat or silk cocktail dress, sew the Halston label and call it a day.

What I think Schwab needs to understand is that more is less in Halston’s world.

A wonderfully designed tope colored wool coat that cut to rabbit hair beginning at the waist and elbow screamed Halston, however, a burgundy wool cocktail dress with embellishments thrown on it as well as same fabric ad ons did not. He scored high points in the accessories department where puffy strapped sandals met a grey felt cap that played nostalgic to the “Great Gatsby” look of the seventies where an asymmetrical slit was seen on the center front. Those pieces are effortlessly chic.

"great gatsby" cap and puffy strapped sandals above

An Interim collection was created in Spring/ Summer 2010 acting as capsule for the much-anticipated delivery of Halston in Fall/ Winter. The collection feature colorful goddess like gowns in vibrant oranges and violets to pieced sets of blazers and trousers in textured whites. The overall look achieved the soft and harmonious goal that Schwab needs to attend to.Schwab’s latest collection for his own line shown in Fall/ Winter 2010 was far better than his previous collection. Consisting of kitschy patterns, brocades and soft colored wools. A technique was shown in this collection that was missing in the last and that was tailoring. Intricate seams, cut outs and shapes all fit and flattered the models. Sure, it was body contour but you could tell a lesson had been learned and learned well.

If only he could apply this newly found technique to the Halston label. Were not looking for body contour but to be body conscious still keeping the ultra chic and glamorous look intact. Schwab needs to differentiate his own line from HALSTON, apply this newly found technique to the Halston label and let the clothes speak for themselves.

Then and only then can we think of the modern day Halston woman as the “daughter of the original Halston woman”.