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Roy Halston Frowick—America’s First Fashion Superstar

Roy Halston Frowick, from Jackie Kennedy’s pillbox hat to Studio 54, Ultrasuede and JC Penney: the rise, the fall and the legacy of Halston.

By Gracie Opulanza3 min read

Models in 1970s clothes: a tan belted shirtdress, a yellow dress with a blue scarf, pastel jerseys and a man in a vest

Roy Halston Frowick went from Iowa to New York and made American fashion fashionable, at a time when Europe still ruled couture. He did it with very little: a clean line, a good fabric and nothing added.

For me, that restraint is the whole of Halston. No frills, no embellishment. A sleek silhouette, and fabric left to move.

Group portrait of 1970s models in belted and draped dresses in tan, yellow, pale blue and pink, with a seated man at left

Studio 54

In the 1970s his clothes belonged to Studio 54. Bianca Jagger wore them there, and so did Liza Minnelli. The jumpsuits were slinky and the caftans light as a feather, and they suited that fast, glamorous world.

His maxi dresses, jumpsuits and halter gowns were cut to flow. He worked in Ultrasuede and silk, materials that move with a woman and not against her. Jet setters, models and actresses all wore him. If you wore Halston, you were someone.

His brilliance was in what he left out. He knew that a simple shape says more than a decorated gown.

Black-and-white runway photograph of a model in a long white column dress and matching long coat, a seated woman behind

From hats to haute couture

This is the part of his story I like best. Before Studio 54 and the red carpet, Halston was a milliner. He made the pillbox hat Jackie Kennedy wore to John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, and that made his name.

By 1968 he had set up on his own. His first collection was small, only 25 designs, and it shook the fashion world. The models did not file through a stiff showroom. They twirled and posed to music. By 1972 his collection was being called the best in America.

Kate Moss in a red one-shoulder Halston dress on a red carpet, photographers behind her

Innovator and businessman

Halston understood branding too. In 1983 he teamed up with JC Penney to sell affordable fashion to everybody. Some critics thought a designer of his standing was going downmarket. But this was long before designers working with big retailers became normal.

Then there were the fragrances. His name was a brand as much as a label, and it went on everything from clothes to perfume bottles.

Elizabeth Taylor in a purple wrap and jumpsuit, and Liza Minnelli in a purple sequinned jumpsuit, side by side

The downfall

It did not last. By the mid-1980s Halston had lost control of his company, after bad business decisions in an industry that moves fast. His empire was broken up, and fashion lost one of its brightest names.

But his influence never went away. The label was relaunched in 2008, and Halston Heritage brought the archive shapes back with a contemporary twist. I see those dresses on the red carpet now.

Black-and-white photograph of a woman holding a rose in a dark dress and a woman in a jewelled necklace, in a crowd

The legacy

Halston showed that fashion could be art and business, luxury and something within reach. He showed that a designer could be a celebrity, and that one name could carry an empire. Fashion houses still follow that blueprint.

He lives on outside fashion too. There has been a Netflix series with Ewan McGregor playing him, and there are documentaries. How many designers have been played by a Hollywood actor?

So the next time you put on something sleek and minimal, raise a glass to Halston. America’s first fashion star.

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