Roy Frowick Halston was born on April 23, 1932, in Des Moines, Iowa, a product of America's heartland, where he spent his childhood playing in soap box derby races, fishing, and visiting farms. He developed an interest in sewing from his mother and showed a special talent for making hats, creating his own for his mother and sister. Halston attended Indiana University for a semester before moving to Chicago with his family, where he enrolled in a night course at the Chicago Art Institute and worked as a window dresser. His big break came when a small story about his hat designs appeared in the Chicago Daily News, and he soon became known for his fashionable creations.
Halston's middle name became his professional moniker, and his hat sales took off. He began designing for celebrities and show business clients, eventually opening his own shop, the Boulevard Salon, on Michigan Avenue. In 1959, he left Chicago for New York City to work for the renowned French milliner Lilly Daché, where he proved himself to be a hardworking and dedicated employee. He was named co-designer at Daché after just one year and later accepted a position at Bergdorf Goodman, where he charmed his clients and made a name for himself.
Halston became the first designer to have his name placed on the hats he designed at Bergdorf's and mastered the art of courting and manipulating the press. In 1962, he designed the famous pillbox hat worn by Jacqueline Kennedy at the President's Inaugural, cementing his status as a household name. Later that year, he received the Coty's Fashion Critics Award.
In 1966, Halston designed his first ready-to-wear collection for Bergdorf Goodman, and his hat creations continued to gain recognition. Women's Wear Daily hailed him as "New York's Top Milliner." He opened his own salon in 1968 and became the toast of New York's fashion society, with a circle of friends and clients that included Liza Minnelli, Barbara Walters, Martha Graham, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Andy Warhol, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Halston's career skyrocketed in the 1970s, and his designs set the standard for American designers. He became the undisputed high priest of fashion, synonymous with classically cut, simple, and elegant designs. His fragrance line, Halston by Halston for women and X12 and Z14 for men, and the fabric known as "Ultra suede" became incredibly successful. He designed and licensed his name on thirty-one different products, including home linens, uniforms for Braniff International Airlines, and luggage for Hartmann.
Throughout the 1970s, Halston epitomized the glamour and decadence of the era, becoming a central figure in the nightlife scene of New York's Studio 54 disco.
