Ewan McGregor Enchants in ‘Halston’s First Trailer

This May, a legend is coming to Netflix. Today, the streaming giant dropped the first trailer for its upcoming limited series, Halston. Centered around the titular fashion designer, the series will chronicle the rise and fall of one of the most influential and generation-defining designers of the 1970s. And none other than Ewan McGregor will be tackling this complex role.

Roy Halston Frowick, known solely as Halston, truly broke onto the scene in 1961. After Jacqueline Kennedy wore one of Halston’s pillbox hats at the inauguration of her husband, President John F. Kennedy, two things happened. Halston switched from designing women’s hats to women’s clothing; and the designer became a name worth knowing. He then went on to redefine the world of fashion. Halston’s clothes were iconic for their clean designs often paired with cashmere or ultrasuede, creating and refining a relaxed urban aesthetic for women of this time. He spent a great deal of time at Studio 54, and was friends with legends such as Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger, and Andy Warhol.

But Halston’s success didn’t last. In 1983 Halston signed a six-figure deal with J.C. Penney to create an affordable clothing line, known as the poorly received Halston III. The move was highly controversial. No other high-end designer had yet created for a mass market, largely due to the fear that doing so would dilute their brands. In Halston’s case that’s exactly what happened. Bergdorf Goodman dropped their Halston line, citing that the brand had been cheapened and as such it didn’t have a place in the luxury department store. That’s when Halston started to lose control of his company. By 1984, the fashion legend and namesake was banned from creating designs for Halston Enterprises.

In 1990, Halston died of Kaposi’s sarcoma, a type of cancer that’s often diagnosed in AIDS patients. He was survived by his on-again off-again lover, artist Victor Hugo, who then died in 1993. Since Halston’s death, his work and legacy have been commemorated through several documentaries, museum exhibitions, and lines from other designers.

Netflix’s Halston will tell the story of this dynamic figure from beginning to end. As mentioned before, Ewan McGregor will play Halston. Krysta Rodriguez and Rebecca Dayan will star as two of his closest friends, Liza Minnelli and Elsa Peretti, respectively. Gian Franco Rodriguez will portray Halston’s longtime lover Victor Hugo. Additionally the miniseries will star Bill Pullman, David Pittu, Sullivan Jones, Rory Culkin, Kelly Bishop, and Vera Farmiga. The series is executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Alexis Martin Woodall, Daniel Minahan, Ewan McGregor, Eric Kovtun, Sharr White, and Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler of Killer Films. Minahan will also direct all episodes.

The generation-altering storm of fashion is set to premiere on Netflix Friday, May 14. Check out the first trailer above, and bask in this gorgeous world.

Watch Halston on Netflix