Evenings Dress and Sash

This simple evening dress of orange silk matelassé epitomizes the Halston look. The distinctive cut of the asymmetrical bodice is one of Halston’s major innovations of the early 1970s. Cut on the bias, the entire dress is made of only two pieces of fabric, with virtually invisible seams. One piece forms the left sleeve and the bodice back, while the other wraps the body forming the right sleeve, skirt, and bodice front.

Halston's clothes define “the all-American style.” Influenced greatly by Madeleine Vionnet’s reductionist construction and by the sculptural work of British designer Charles James, Halston fashioned minimalist garments that emphasized line and shape. Rejecting traditional dressmaking and tailoring techniques, Halston reduced clothing to simple planes and clean lines. He created clothing without zippers, pockets, ruffles, or notched lapels, and almost without seams, avoiding any construction technique that created bulk or disturbed the line of the garment. His columnar dresses fall from the shoulders, creating a narrow, elongated silhouette.

Halston strove not only to dress the many socialites and celebrities who adored his work, but also to create garments that had mass appeal. He championed casual sportswear, bodysuits, and washable, easy-care fabrics such as Ultrasuede. Halston took the understated, casual clothes that American women loved, and raised them to a new level by making them from luxurious fabrics in sophisticated colors.