By: debbie lynn elias
I am a die-hard Halston fan and have been since the 70’s. I owned a Halston gown. I lived in his Halston III collection. I loved ultrasuede in clothes and handbags. I loved Halston’s use of jersey and its introduction into the fashion mainstream. I worshiped (and still do) his introduction of bias-cutting into fashion styling. With that in mind, you can imagine my excitement at the prospect of a documentary on this legendary man, particularly in light of the breathtaking documentaries we have recently seen on Valentino (the creme de la creme), Yves Saint Laurent, Vidal Sassoon and even Diane Vreeland. All the components of a masterpiece on Halston are draped throughout the world. Be it his training, design influences, former clients, business associates, fashion and design experts, fabrics or vintage garments, one need only search through the remnants of the day to find them. And once found, pattern, pin and serge them together with the same meticulous styling of Halston himself. Unfortunately, writer/director Whitney Sudler-Smith is not the designer or stylist for this job as, despite his best intentions, what he gives us with ULTRASUEDE: IN SEARCH OF HALSTON, is a documentary of poor construction, complete lack of design and shoddy workmanship with threads hanging and seams splitting. In short, if this were Project Runway, ULTRASUEDE and Smith would be “out.”
With a cadre of fascinating movers and shakers from the world of Halston at his disposal, among them, Liza Minnelli and Anjelica Huston, as well as some of fashion’s elite, Diane Von Furstenberg and Andre Leon Talley, I expected to gain some insight into Halston himself – what made him tick, what led him from Iowa to his first job as a milliner for Bergdorf-Goodman, what took him out of the work room and into the design studio, what inspired him, to what did he owe his visionary thinking and foresight for the direction the business has taken in the decades since his death, his love of the United States and his pride in pushing for US trade abroad, particularly with China. Minnelli stressed to Smith to go for “the solid stuff” and avoid the gossip. But gossip – over-used and well known at that – is all that we are given. The gossip surrounding the already well documented decadence of Studio 54, Halston’s boy toy Victor Hugo, the drugs, the parties, the glitteratti, the glamorous models. We learn nothing new of the man behind the legend.
During my own interview with Smith, it was interesting to learn that his interest was not necessarily so much with Halston, but rather with what Smith perceived as the “decadence of the 70’s” and the decadence he saw through the world of Studio 54 and the name of Halston. Disappointingly, but not shocking, was Smith’s response when I asked him the most surprising thing he learned about Halston during the filmmaking process. His response – the quantity of illegal drugs used by Halston. (Helpful hint to filmmakers: One doesn’t wear mirrored sunglasses inside at 11AM to be cool. As became routine for Halston and his confidantes, the glasses were worn to hide the eyes and protect them from daylight AFTER a night of debauchery.) This, in and of itself, provides much insight into how the documentary became what it is, and what it most definitely is not.
Showing himself tooling around New York in a Smokey & The Bandit Trans Am, and of course after doing a mini-interview with his own mother (neither of which has anything to do with Halston), Smith spends as much time, if not more, showcasing his own “style” as he does with interview subjects. Distracting are the repeated camera shots of Smith with a hopefully feigned look of befuddlement or true bewilderment when chastised for poor research or inappropriate demeanor during an interview. Every time Smith is on screen, my mind quickly envisions Bill Paxton’s spy parody in True Lies with bad hair bad moustache and a cartoonish interpretation of “covert spy.” And while Smith told me his intent was to be the “comic relief”, what he deems as comic comes across as degrading and insulting to Halston’s legacy and his true friends and fans.
Glaringly absent are expected trips to fashion museums for an archival trip down memory lane with original Halston designs. Instead, we are treated to archival news and runway footage that has been used ad nauseam over the decades with only brief glimpses into Halston’s business acumen (or lack thereof) and societal impact, being treated more to Smith’s fascination with Halston’s longtime “boyfriend” Victor Hugo and the alleged “free spirited” drug use at Studio 54 by Halston and his friends. More questions revolved around “who” was using drugs, “what kind” and “how much” rather than substantive material on Halston and his legacy. And an interview with Billy Joel simply because he referred to Halston in song lyrics? One has to wonder if Smith was using this documentary as a ruse just to sate his need for star gawking.
There are, however, two impactful sequences that give a glimpse into Halston’s mindset – those depicting Halston’s former New York apartment as it is today, and his former office high atop Manhattan providing a glorious eyeline of the Twin Towers, metaphorically representing decadence in and of itself.
Interviews conducted with Minnelli reveal her heartfelt passion and honesty for her dear friend, while those with Anjelica Huston give us kernels of gold from her days on Halston’s catwalk. Disgracefully, Smith asks Minnelli what song she sang at Halston’s funeral, raising her dander into a more than defensive tone about the memorial being about Halston, not her. Ouch. Von Furstenberg is tactful when talking the business of fashion and shies away from harsh criticisms of Halston’s branding techniques, preferring to reference them as “mistakes” or “bad judgment.” And Andre Talley must repeatedly tell Smith not to interrupt and remind him that they are there to talk about Halston.
Note to documentarians. If you want to see what NOT to do with your documentary, take a look at ULTRASUEDE: IN SEARCH OF HALSTON. A documentary is meant to cast the camera’s eye on the subject, not the filmmaker. With ULTRASUEDE and a subject such as the iconic and legendary Halston, writer/director Whitney Sudler-Smith had a golden opportunity, as urged by Liza Minnelli, to “look for the solid stuff” and not the gossip. Sadly, he failed to take her advice and that of others, like fashion guru Andre Leon Talley, instead electing to insinuate himself front and center into virtually every scene but for archival footage, mugging for the camera and all the while asking questions and making comments demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge, research and respect for Halston or the interviewees, leading to repeated visible disdain and dismissiveness by those being interviewed.
And Smith’s skills as an interviewer are non-existent, as is often basic etiquette. (Rule One – Turn off your cell phone before going into an interview.) Having said this, one then must also question Smith’s abilities and that of his co-filmmakers for editing, writing and direction, as anyone with a modicum of pride and dedication to the subject itself, would never produce a final product showcasing the filmmaker and his immaturity and inadequacies as opposed to the alleged subject of the documentary.
Making the viewing experience even more distressing, I can honestly say that Whitney Sudler-Smith is genuinely affable, nice and outgoing, the kind of man you would expect to bring a more polished and heartfelt documentary to the table. Sadly, what could have proved to be an enlightening and substantive documentary on a man who not only changed the face of American fashion, but who was a visionary in terms of marketing and branding, is instead a poor man’s regurgitation of newsreels and magazine glossies fueling a filmmaker’s ego.
Written and Directed by Whitney Sudler-Smith.
