Halston
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And at this stage of his career, simply saying the name Ryan Murphymeans something.
Teen dramedies like the WBsPopularand FoxsGleetrafficked in the sardonic and gave that genre more bite.
Weissfollowed a year later but the programs that have come out of Murphys Netflix dealhavent seen the same cachet.
TV shows likeRatchedandThe Politicianhave failed to hit.
704 celebrated the upwardly mobile, fashionable career woman.
He was a celebrity fashion designer and his own brand, before people actually used that term.
Then he made a deal with the Devil in the form of apartnership with JCPenney.
While partnerships like this may be expected and essential now, the movemarked the beginning of his downfall.
But before any of this, he was just Roy.
Its clear that Halston believed his mothers words.
Halstons brush with fame doesnt last forever.
In a few years, Kennedy has stopped wearing hats, and so have a lot of women.
Knowing when its time to pivot, he convinces Bergdorf to let him design his own line.
While Ed will stick around for some time, the lines a bust.
Awkward murmuring fills the air during the show as the audience members arent buying it.
They politely deign to clap at the end.
The space will be boho chic and include orchids, Halstons favorite flowers.
But what is a (wannabe) celebrity fashion designer without a celebrity friend who will wear his creations?
The episode also hints at what will become bigger issues throughout the series.
Halston is a genius who can make an immediately iconic design just with a couple snips of scissors.
But he is also a totalitarian boss who treats his employees in ways that would makeScott Rudin uncomfortable.
Next its Regina Schneiders socialite Babe Paley, who goes berserk for the Ultrasuede shirtwaist dress).
We also see the emergence of the brand, Halston the Person.
(Yeah, he did.
But that magic was the make-believe he created as a coping mechanism.)
Give the lady a little credit.
Its seen here when he makes a gown for Minnelli.
