If you love fashion, celebrity and all things pop culture then Halston is set to be your new binge-watch obsession.
The five-part Netflix series, which lands on Friday, is the brainchild of Ryan Murphy and explores the life and career of legendary fashion designer Halston.
But before you settle down in front of your TV with the popcorn, here’s everything you need to know about the designer and the show.
Who was Halston?
Born in Iowa in April 1932, Roy Halston Frowick, professionally known as just Halston, was an American fashion designer who rose to international fame in the '70s after making an impact as a milliner in the '60s.
He was frequently photographed at Studio 54 with his friends Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger and Andy Warhol and these images helped turn him into a cultural icon.
He died of AIDS-related cancer in 1990 when he was just 57.
Why should I care about him?
Halston is regarded as a pop culture icon. He created or influenced so many clothing items and styles that we all still wear (albeit we pick them up in Penneys while enjoying a celebrity lifestyle).
Prior to his disco fever and Studio 54 he designed Jackie Kennedy’s hat for her husband’s presidential inauguration in 1961.
Did Halston design anything I’d know (aside from the hat)?
Halston was one of the first designers to create now-beloved Unisex clothing. He reinvented the jumpsuit, the shirtdress, and the classic caftan, leaving an indelible mark on fashion.
Overall his minimalist, clean designs were a phenomenon in the mid-1970s discotheques and redefined American fashion.
He won four Coty Awards including two for his millinery designs in 1962 and 1969 and two for his fashion designs in 1971 and 1972. In 1974, Halston was inducted into the Coty Hall of Fame.
So what’s all the fuss about this show?
Well, it’s the brainchild of producer and writer Ryan Murphy who, let's face it, has a good track record.
It also has an all-star cast including Ewan McGregor in the titular role, Rory Culkin playing Joel Schumacher, Krysta Rodriguez as Liza Minnelli (no pressure playing a legend) and Bill Pullman as David Mahoney.
But aside from all that, it is the stunning recreations of the eras and the fashions that we are all suckers for. We’ve already had a taster of this in images released from the show.
If Murphy’s previous offerings are anything to go by this will be a gloriously camp, fabulous and glamorous look at the legendary designer's life and work.
Anything else I should know?
Apparently, McGregor had never heard of Halston before he was cast. He told The Hollywood Reporter: "To find out that he was so massively famous in his time, and I had never heard of him—that didn't make much sense to me."
But after engaging with someone who had been trying to make the project for years, he said: "I could tell instantly from the photographs that I wanted to play him, I could just feel it. There's something about the way you can see that he holds himself, something behind his eyes. There's something so intriguing about him as a character."
Is Halston a true story?
While the series is said to depict the life of Halston, the late designer's family hit out ahead of its release.
In a statement released on Monday via PR Newswire, his family described it as “an inaccurate, fictionalised account” and claimed they had not been consulted by producers.
The statement added: "The Halston Archives remains the only definitive and comprehensive source on the man and his legacy as the personally appointed custodian of his private papers and effects."
So where can I watch Halston again?
It hit Netfilix at 8am on Friday, May 14.
