Roy Halston Frowick (1932 - 1990), more commonly known as Halston, was a successful American fashion designer who was most influential in the 1970s. His smart yet comfortable women’s clothing made an original contribution to American fashion, at a time when US customers were still looking to Europe.

Starting his career in millinery, Halston achieved great recognition after designing the pillbox hat worn by Jacqueline Kennedy to John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961. After presenting his first collection in 1966 and designing womenswear under the label ‘From Halston’ for Bergdorf Goodman, Halston launched Halston Ltd. in October 1968, and opened his first retail boutique in 1972 on Madison Avenue, NY. Two of Halston’s best remembered designs date from this period, the Caftan and the Ultrasuede shirt dress.

Halston first saw Ultrasuede at a party where Issey Miyake had used the fabric for his own outfit. This encouraged Halston to release his first Ultrasuede look: a raincoat for his S/S 1971 collection, believing wrongly that the fabric was water repellent (in fact, Halston had misunderstood Miyake on this point). The raincoat was then followed by the shirt dress, originally called 'model 704'.

After its release in 1972, Halston’s shirt dress became a staple in many women’s wardrobes. Its cut and construction drew from the lines of a man’s shirt; however, it was reconstructed in a way by which it became a Halston original, rather than a feminized man’s garment.