“Halston” Netflix Series Review by Josh Davis : Pop Culture Leftovers

“Halston” Netflix Series Review by Josh Davis

June 20, 2021 4:34 pm |

Spoilers for anyone who has ever bought and enjoyed the signature perfume from legendary fashion designer Halston: That scent you’ve been enamored with is tobacco, orchids and balls.

This and many other wild notions are part of “Halston,” the new Netflix miniseries that is a revealing, stylish, and gripping look into the life of Roy Halston Frowick.

The series is produced by Ryan Murphy (“American Horror Story,” “Glee”) and all five episodes were directed by Daniel Minahan (“Game of Thrones,” “True Blood”).

The show was adapted from Steven Gaines’ 1991 biography “Simply Halston” and written by Ian Brennan (“Ratched,” “Glee”). Other credited writers include Murphy, Ted Malawer, Tim Pinckney, Sharr White and Kristina Woo.

Ewan McGregor (“Trainspotting,” the “Star Wars” prequels) stars as Halston, with costars including Rebecca Dayan (“The Neon Demon”) as model and designer Elsa Peretti, David Pittu (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) as fashion illustrator Joe Eula, Krysta Rodriguez (“Daybreak”) as stage legend Liza Minnelli, Bill Pullman (“Independence Day”) as businessman and philanthropist David Mahoney, Kelly Bishop (“Gilmore Girls”) as fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, and Gian Franco Rodriguez (a veteran of several short films) as Halston’s longtime love interest, Victor Hugo.

When we first meet Halston, he’s best known as a hat designer favored by former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. We get a few flashes of his childhood, when Halston would make and decorate hats to cheer up his mother.
By the early 1970s, Halston is looking for a new angle when he meets Minnelli at a fancy supper club, and she becomes his muse.

An early highlight is watching Rodriguez channel Minnelli’s signature song “Liza with a Z” in a show-stopping performance. It’s jaw-droppingly good and Rodriguez is a scene stealer throughout the series.

As Halston makes the transition from milliner to fully fledged fashion designer, he recruits Peretti and Eula, along with a band of other misfits to work in a grubby building on Madison Avenue, about 20 blocks north of Times Square.
It’s fascinating to watch Halston’s rise from relative unknown to household name, and much of the credit should go to the costuming and production design team that capture what made Halston one of the greatest fashion icons of his generation.

While his credibility as an artist was skyrocketing, Halston also struggled in his personal life, and his relationship with Hugo (whose name is borrowed from the famous French author of “Les Misérables”) began when Hugo was a lowly New York prostitute.

In reality, Hugo was a disciple of Andy Warhol and an artist in his own right, although his nickname apparently came from the fact that a certain part of his anatomy was “Huge-O”. In the show, however, he’s portrayed as a mostly deplorable character whose tumultuous relationship with Halston contributed to Halston’s later drug addiction, not to mention his eventual death from complications from AIDS.

The series also suggests Halston was incredibly insecure, in large part because of his upbringing, and it’s heartbreaking to watch such a visionary being constantly torn apart both by his own frail ego, and by the toxic relationship with Hugo.

While Rodriguez is the scene stealer, McGregor is utterly absorbing as the lead and holds the show together.
In a recent interview, the veteran actor said he felt like he was repeating himself of late and wanted to take more risks.

Here, he embodies the spirit and voice of Halston, and many of those scenes aren’t easy or fun to watch, but are essential to the overall story and building up the drama. It’s a daring performance.

Dayan is another breakout, and her portrayal of Peretti is both fearless and captivating. Bishop and Pullman also shine, albeit in smaller, supporting roles.

The Halston family recently released a statement on the series, saying they were not consulted and calling it “an inaccurate, fictionalized account of famed fashion designer, ‘Halston.’” However, the events are mostly in line with the 2019 documentary film “Halston.”

Whatever the truth might be, “Halston,” the miniseries, is a thoroughly bingeable, engrossing and visually dazzling watch, with strong writing and acting all around.

For anyone still on the fence, do yourself a favor and fast-forward to about the 12-and-a-half-minute mark in the first episode. If “Liza with a Z” doesn’t rock your world, this show isn’t for you. If it does, strap in and enjoy some of the best dramatic television of 2021, so far.

PCL Rating: TUPPERWARE

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: FRESH