The rise and fall of ’70s design superstar Halston is a worthy, if familiar, story for a documentary. It’s unfortunate that director Whitney Sudler-Smith seems to have spent more time on his own hair than his interview prep.
We are thus treated to a series of lame Q&As with personalities who clearly have good stories to tell, if only someone would ask the right questions. “Go do some research,” Liza Minnelli says kindly at the end of their chat. Never a good sign. Vogue powerhouse André Leon Talley’s fashion history lesson is interrupted by Sudler-Smith’s cellphone ring — which happens to be the Confederate anthem “Dixie.”
Still, the archival footage he’s assembled in “Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston” is compelling. Halston’s innovation with drapey fabrics took women’s fashion to new heights of comfort, while flattering every form — a philosophy carried on by wrap-dress queen Diane von Furstenberg, who recalls her design icon’s downward spiral.
It’s particularly sad to watch Halston’s effort to democratize by partnering with JCPenney get him ousted from the haute fashion community, as he was simply decades ahead of his time. Today, he’d be proudly displayed at the cheapo likes of Target and H&M.