Over the Memorial Day weekend, I watched both the Halston documentary and the Halston Netflix series. Both were interesting (although I liked the documentary more than the series). Halston really did recreate himself. It was sad to watch him self-destruct, as so many creative people tend to do. Also, a lot of creative folks often need someone to reign them in because, while they're very talented, they often lack the ability to run a business (as was the case with Halston). He just kept spending money and no one was watching the bottom line for years. So much excess! After a while, he went into business ventures that brought him a lot of money, but he sold his name away in the process. He couldn't even use his own name on anything when he died. How sad is that? The documentary allowed you to see the real Halston and hear his voice. The Netflix series gave you the Ryan Murphy-version of Halston: the debauchery, the glamour, the ugliness. I've been critical of Murphy's stuff in the past (because a lot of the Netflix stuff has been no bueno), but this one wasn't bad. I wasn't crazy about Ewan McGregor being cast in the lead role simply because I didn't think he had the right look for Halston, but he's a good actor.
I really didn't know anything about Halston (the man or his business) until I watched these shows. I don't even remember him creating a line of clothing for JC Penney (that helped to lead to his downfall, unfortunately). Now there are so many high-end designers who do deals with lower-priced stores that it's not unusual. Look at Michael Kors. You can buy his bags at TJ Maxx! Vera Wang sells stuff at Kohl's! Gloria Vanderbilt sold her name and never got it back before she died. Her jeans used to be high-end and now you can find her stuff at discount stores. But that's what happens when you make that kind of big-money deal.
No comments:
Post a Comment