Locked Out of His Own Name: Halston's Corporate Exile and Final Decline

Designer Scandals & Falls from Grace5/5 wildness

Locked Out of His Own Name: Halston's Corporate Exile and Final Decline

Halston Enterprises, Norton Simon, Esmark, Playtex International, Beatrice Foods, and Revlon / 1980s

The J. C. Penney controversy unfolded alongside an even more devastating corporate takeover. Halston Limited, originally sold to Norton Simon, Inc. for $16 million in 1973, was acquired by Esmark in 1983; the label then passed through Playtex International, Beatrice Foods, and other owners. As control shifted, Halston became increasingly frustrated by decisions made in his name. By 1984, he was reportedly barred from designing for Halston Enterprises and replaced by his former assistant, John David Ridge. Ridge later recalled Halston's physical decline and described moments in which the designer's hands shook so badly that he could only point while fabric was cut, although flashes of his original brilliance remained. Halston unsuccessfully attempted to buy back the company, which was acquired by Revlon in 1986. After Revlon declined to guarantee that he would retain creative input, he abandoned negotiations; the clothing line was discontinued in 1990 while the perfume business continued. Halston died that same year from Kaposi's sarcoma, an AIDS-defining illness, leaving one of American fashion's most powerful names largely detached from its creator.