Netflix: Review of HALSTON: A Designer's Decadent Descent

May 17, 2021

This 5-episode series recounted the rise of fashion designer Halston starting with Jackie Kennedy's iconic pillbox hat in the 1960s. After meeting and designing dresses for Liza Minnelli (Krysta Rodriguez), Halston went on to form his design team composed on Joe Eula (David Pittu) as his illustrator and Elsa Peretti (Rebecca Dayan) as his fit model. He even hired young Joel Schumacher (Rory Culkin) before he became a film director.

He then entered into an agreement with David Mahoney (Bill Pullman) of investment company Norton Simon to handle his business affairs. This relationship will make Halston a household name, attaching his name not only to dresses, but also to perfume, luggage, and furniture. The immense pressure of this arrangement led Halston down the dark road of drugs and decadence, and toxic relationships with men like Victor Hugo (Gian Franco Rodriguez).

As with previous Ryan Murphy period productions with Netflix like "Hollywood" and "Ratched", the glamorous production design of Halston's world from 1960s to the 1980s was definitely topnotch eye candy. The costume designs were of course meticulously rendered as would be expected. Those scenes where Halston creating that red gown for Liza or that blue gown from Schumacher's dyed material on Elsa, both on the fly, were very well-executed. 

Ewan McGregor looked like he was having a ball playing a prideful, sarcastic Halston with all his fabulous frivolities, like the orchids or the limousines, as well as his dangerous lifestyle of drugs and random lovers. At 50 years of age now, McGregor did look a bit too old to play the young Halston. Kysta Rodriguez's Liza Minnelli was a breath of fresh air whenever she was on screen. Gian Franco Rodriguez's annoying male prostitute Victor had bad news written all over his thick handlebar mustache from the very start. 

This limited series, created by Sharr White and directed by Daniel Minahan, was based on the biographical novel by Steven Gaines, entitled "Simply Halston." Those initial parts about Halston's personal relationships and signature creations were certainly interesting to watch. However, the latter part about his downward spiral into drugs, debts and HIV were all too familiar ground already. The story did not seem to really need five episodes to tell it. 7/10.