9 / 10
This is a fantastic, five-episode mini-series that follows the glamorous and visionary lifestyles of one of the most famous fashion designers in the ‘70s. Halston’s story closely mirrors the life of a rock star with the many twists and turns that come with fame and wealth.
Word of caution, this series is 100% not family friendly as there is a ridiculous amount of sex and drugs. This mini-series is a very raw lens into the frivolous party lifestyle of a famous, fashion designer known as Halston. To be completely transparent, I stalled on whether I wanted to recommend the show or not; but because it is so dense with artistic integrity and charisma, it was hard to be silent about it. Plus, I am a huge fan of Ewan McGregor so I couldn’t pass on sharing.
Ewan McGregor is such a skilled actor who plays a phenomenal, artistically pretentious character. McGregor masterfully embodies sophisticated artist character as he nitpicks with a wave of his eleventh cigarette.
I was surprised of the lack of buzz around this show as it was released on Netflix in May of last year (2021). Although I am not well-versed in the fashion industry, I still found the content interesting. Halston kind of reminds me of Andy Warhol.
Fabulous costume design! Enough for me to revisit my wardrobe for inspiration...
It’s interesting to think how fashion designers reevaluate casual street wear vs the classy fine-dining fashion. Looking at the styles of 70’s, it’s clear to see the evolution that took place over the past couple of years and see the creative minds behind it. Halston truly captured an era of style and fashion.
As you can imagine, the fashion industry is super competitive and it was interesting to hear about the progress of other brands such as Calvin Klein and many others to note. This is a very pivotable time period for fashion as many styles and trends were developing such as fashionable denim.
Outside of designers, Halston is close friends with Iliza Minelli who is so fun and truly a legend. Krysta Rodriguez who plays Liza almost stole the show with her supportive role with Halston and to follow their friendship.
Studio 54 is super glamorous and surprisingly very in your face with how much naughty business went on there. If those walls could talk…
In summary, I thought Halston was a great watch if you can get past all of the rated R content. With only five episodes, Halston is a perfect amount of content to sit through.
// tl;dr //
Was it good? - Yep, definitely a good show and worth recommending.
Date flick? - Yes, this would be a great date night watch.
