HALSTON

Roy!

Roy!

I just want to--

- -

Just all day and all night, you've been riding me.

- Don't get upset I-- - Don't get upset when you wake me--

- I don't like when you-- - I don't care who hears anything.

- Come here! -

I made something for you.

People gather by the thousands

to witness the inauguration of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

As the motorcade makes its way down Pennsylvania Avenue,

they hope to catch a glimpse of First Lady Jackie Kennedy

in a dress by designer Oleg Cassini

and a simple yet elegant pillbox by hatmaker Mr. Halston.

Did they just say your name?

Excuse me. Morning. Good morning.

Elegance, if you will.

I think madam will be really pleased.

What the hell is going on?

What's going on?

Ah, so Jacqueline Kennedy dropped your name for one.

We've sold 50 already, and it's not even 10:00 a.m.

You're him, aren't you?

You're Mr. Halston.

God bless Jackie Kennedy.

Fuck Jackie Kennedy.

Halston! Why would you say that after all she's been through?

She made you, Halston.

And then she killed me.

Stopped wearing hats so she wouldn't ruin that awful gigantic hairdo of hers.

Do you have a moment?

I'm sorry. As you can see, we're terribly busy.

Halston, the second-quarter report came in.

-It's not good. -Mm-hmm.

Hat sales are down 30% from last quarter, and the previous quarter down 40%.

-We're trending up, is what you're saying. -No, that is not what I'm saying.

You know what they say. Numbers.

Who says that?

Oh, everybody. All the time.

People just don't wear hats anymore is the problem.

Yes. As a milliner, Henry, I'm well aware of that fact.

Well, what I mean is, what are you going to do about it?

Well, I'm hard at work making the sun brighter,

but until I get my rainmaking machine working,

I don't know what I'll do, Henry.

Except maybe drink after this meeting.

From the gentleman at the end.

He sent it back.

What is it about an amaretto stone sour that you don't like?

It's the stone, isn't it? Choking hazard. I'll have the barman remove it.

No, thank you.

-Then let me buy you something else. -No, thanks.

I don't accept drinks from strangers.

Then tell me your name. We won't be strangers.

You go first.

-Eric. -And what do you do, Eric?

I'm a falconer.

Bullshit.

We're heroes, really, my falcon and I. Keeping the rat population under control.

It's very fashionable, what we do.

That long leather glove, that little cap I put over his head.

It's kinky.

Let me buy you a drink.

Can I ask what is it about me that caught your eye?

How do you mean?

I mean, why are you trying to pick me up and not anybody else?

I'm not like anybody else.

Just wouldn't have thought I was your type.

And what's my type?

A white guy in a Brooks Brothers suit.

Ouch.

Mmm.

Or… maybe you're just a size queen.

Or…

maybe I've been an outsider, too, my whole life.

Getting sideways glances from white guys in Brooks Brothers suits

for what I was and who I liked or who I was and what I liked.

Till one day, I just stopped giving a flying fuck.

Ed.

Ed is my name.

Nice meeting you, Eric.

Though Eric's not your real name, is it?

Roy.

Though that's not my real name either.

I like people to call me Halston.

Get the fuck out.

The hat designer?

I've always wondered this. How does somebody end up designing hats?

It's sculpture, really.

I've always done it. I made hats to lift my mother's spirits.

Oh, honey.

You are far too special for this place.

I had a magical childhood.

But I left Indiana as soon as I could. First to Chicago and then here.

Made myself out of nothing.

Whole cloth, as it were.

Men like us…

come here from some faraway place to invent ourselves.

Make something out of nothing.

I didn't come from as far.

Just crossed the river from New Jersey, but…

That version of me seems very far away.

So, what are you going to do now?

Women don't wear hats anymore.

Well, Ed, I have a plan.

Have you ever heard of Ralph Lifshitz?

Who?

Recently, Ralph Lifshitz walks into Bloomingdale's

with a line of ties one inch wider than any other tie being sold

and a label that says "Polo."

They said, "If you make them one inch narrower

and you swap your label for ours, we'll sell them."

He said no.

And he walked out of there. And then two weeks later,

Bloomingdale's, they come back to the table.

They say, "We made a mistake."

"We love your ties. We're haunted by them."

"You can keep your label. You can keep them one inch wider."

"And we want you to make shirts to go with them."

I've been designing hats for Bergdorf's since 1961.

I put that fucking place on the map.

I'm gonna do what Ralph Lifshitz did, only bigger.

Why don't I know this name?

Because he changed his last name to fucking Lauren.

I have a vision, Ed.

So, a store within a store?

See? Simple.

But to sell what?

Halston.

I wanna be the first person who's also a complete line.

Women will come to me,

and I will provide them a complete, custom couture experience.

I'll put her in Halston, head to toe.

Dress, bra, panties, hose, shoes--

I don't know, Halston.

No one wants European knockoffs anymore.

What if Bergdorf Goodman could house the first American couturier?

-You? -No.

Halston.

Which is me.

It's interesting.

Why don't you start by making us some dresses?

Mm-hmm, yeah.

Okay, so then what happened? How many did you sell?

Well, you won't believe it.

It was an unmitigated disaster. No sales. Total flop.

Oh my God. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?

I'm fine. What do you mean? I was brilliant. They're the dummies.

Let me freshen you up.

-But what are you gonna do? -Keep going.

The show didn't work. That's fine. I know what I have to do.

And what is that?

I'm too big for that room.

I need to get out on my own.

You are fucking impressive, man.

Mmm.

I mean, here's the thing though. I know you love "yes" people.

And I got a lot more syllables up my sleeve than just yes.

Try me. Tell me something you think I won't like.

Okay, fine.

That collection you did for Bergdorf's? Looked like cement.

That's why they didn't sell. Nobody wanted 'em.

Nobody understood them.

You don't want to understand a dress. You want to love it.

You want to be Balenciaga. There's already a Balenciaga.

What we need is to figure out your signature.

What's gonna make me see some gorgeous woman

out in a supper club wearing a fabulous ensemble

and say, "That's a Halston."

So, does that mean you're in?

- -