5 Screenwriting Takeaways: Netflix's 'Halston' embraces fashion, friendship and excess
May 24, 2021
Halston is the flashy new fashion bio series apparently taking many liberties with designer Roy Halston Frowick’s life. According to his niece, Lesley Frowick, no member of his family has endorsed the show. After watching the trailer, Frowick stresses that what she hopes people remember most about Halston is his kindness.
Loosely based on historical facts—and Steven Gaines' book, "Simply Halston"—Ryan Murphy's Netflix stunner doesn't shy away from the salacious (or the beautiful). Here are your five screenwriting takeaways from Halston.
1. How a hat became happiness. Halston started his career as a hat designer mainly to make his mother happy. As a kid back in Evanston, Indiana, he did it just for fun. But when Jackie Kennedy started wearing his hats, it changed his life. In the pilot episode, Halston muses to his boyfriend at the time: “We come here from far away places to make something out of nothing.” Halston also quickly learns it only takes one "yes" for success, and these two statements seem to quickly underscore the theme of the show, along with Halston’s work ethic and stop-at-nothing tenacity.2. The power of elegance. Halston immediately understands the power of elegance. His days of selling hats at Bergdorf’s quickly teach him this. When women stop wearing hats, Halston knows he needs a celebrity endorsement of his work and he’ll stop at nothing to get one, even if that means converting a crappy run-down New York City loft into a beautiful space. The show itself seems to spare no expense in its nod to the finer things. It’s like the late '60s and early '70s version of fashion Mad Men. Cinematographers Tim Ives and William Rexer shoot their subjects in warm, beautiful lighting, just as much as Halston drapes his own subjects in fine, hand-dyed fabrics with results that are a true feast for the eyes.
3. More than pretty faces. While viewers may be intrigued to watch actors take on the likes of Liza Minelli, Elsa Perretti, Victor Hugo, and more, the true beating heart of this show is Halston and his ragtag team behind the scenes that he calls " a bunch of queers and freaks and girls who haven’t grown up yet.” Ewan McGregor (as Halston) puts on a show as a man who is fiercely loyal to those who don’t question too deeply. Whereas he can also turn on a dime, even to those he loves. He growls to his lover Ed: “I’d like to sleep alone,” when Ed begs to get to know him, but questions his haughty affectations. In the next moment, Halston’s offering to take his assistant designer to rehab. His personality conundrum and evident ego are a fun ride for any actor to dig into, and the show's writers ensured McGregor would have plenty of meat to chew on. It makes for fun watching, even when the viewer may wonder where is the sympathy for a man who often finds himself realizing his dreams—mercy or no mercy towards those in his immediate sphere.
4. Fashion is about nothing but timing. A biopic doesn’t always have a clear ticking clock and while Halston’s stakes are sometimes meandering (what to do after dresses, can you make it with big ties, how to manage a greedy investment partner, etc.), it's ultimately about the timing of fashion—and when it’s a good idea to literally sell yourself. Caution: Never. Halston, after all, sold himself on his name. An ego trip to be sure, but happens when you lose control of the only thing you should be able to hold onto—your identity. There is no doubt that ultimately Halston the show is about the very idea of what is safe to stake your name upon and when, and the power of a "yes" along with the power of a "no" can be equally heartbreaking.
5. Camp it up! Ryan Murphy (Glee, Pose) has made a career on camp (in a good way) and Halston is no exception. This is the type of show where perfume is invented by putting a jock strap on your face and Halston spits out lines like: “Get it, Sassy!” when out of cocaine, or insists that expensive orchids are part of his process. The question is, how does one master camp when camp is called for? Murphy has previously stated he has a pattern of “nice and lovely, and then dark and twisted” and certainly Halston is a study in that. Not to mention Murphy is drawn to studying characters who traffic in camp (Bette Davis and Joan Crawford come to mind). Perhaps if looking to embrace lines that seem they belong only in the universe of camp, go directly to the source.
Final Takeaway: Halston is an eccentric ride that embraces a lifestyle as large and campy as Halston the man was himself, giving the show's stars more to work with than the inherent glamor, as Halston wanted to provide a home for the misfits of his universe just as much as he wanted to make the average woman feel beautiful.
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Written by: Lindsay Stidham
Lindsay holds an MFA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute. She has overseen two scripts from script to screen as a writer/ producer. SPOONER, starring Matthew Lillard (SLAMDANCE), and DOUCHEBAG (SUNDANCE) both released theatrically. Most recently Lindsay sold PLAY NICE starring Mary Lynn Rajskub. The series was distributed on Hulu. Recent directing endeavors include the Walla Walla premiering (and best screenplay nominated) TIL DEATH DO US PART, and the music video for Bible Belt’s Tomorrow All Today. Lindsay is currently working on an interactive romcom for the production company Effin' Funny, and a feature film script for Smarty Pants Pictures. Lindsay also currently works as an Adjunct Screenwriting Faculty member at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. You can follow her work here: https://lindsaystidham.onfabrik.com/- Topics:
- Screenwriting
- TV/Film
