Evening Dress
Halston
1970s
The one-shouldered gown appeared in many of Halston’s collections. He was especially interested in the bias-spiraling of fabric over the body. His most popular designs were often repeated in a variety of luxurious fabrics—silk chiffons, crepes, jerseys, hammered satin, and even cashmere knits. Halston rarely discussed the actual technical aspects of his work. On close examination, however, the apparent simplicity of his designs is extraordinary in its minimalist resolution. His teal gown extends into a wrap, as if himation and chiton were merged. His purple gown, while not strictly one-shouldered, evolved from the pattern pieces of his earlier gowns with asymmetrical necklines. Although modest in its coverage of the body, its fissured and angled neckline and tentative anchoring on the right shoulder convey a potential for nudity and allude to the classical Greek fashion of anchoring the himation at the shoulder to fall down one side.
