Halston Sneak Preview
Can anyone improve the work of an iconic designer such as Halston? Most definitely not, according to Bradley Bayou, the creative director reviving the legendary label.
“When I first took this job, my first question was: Can I do it as well as he could?” recalled Bayou, whom New York–based Neema Clothing Inc. put in charge of the Halston license in late 2002. “But he wouldn’t have been doing the same stuff. He would have evolved. The only solution was to do Bradley Bayou.”
Bayou, who is guarding the memory of Halston in the couture label Bradley Bayou for Halston, is preparing to open the first Halston boutique in more than two decades. He gave more than 20 members of Fashion Group International Los Angeles (FGILA) a sneak peek of the Los Angeles store on July 21. The store, located on the corner of Melrose Avenue and Robertson Boulevard, is tentatively set to open in October, coinciding with Los Angeles Fashion Week.
Bayou showed the FGILA members some of the Fall 2004 gowns, which included a dazzling embroidered dress with silvery, metallic squares and another with sewn-on autumn leaves. The gowns will also be sold at Bergdorf Goodman. Retail price points will range from $5,000 to $25,000.
The store also will be a laboratory for the collections Bayou plans to introduce in the next six months. These lines will include a designer sportswear collection and a menswear collection that will debut for Spring 2005. Although the store will eventually emphasize the sportswear, couture will always be important, Bayou said.
A team of 12 employees designs the couture in the 4,500-square-foot building that comprises Bayou’s headquarters and retail operations. The 800-square-foot store sits at the front of the design studio and looks like a well-appointed living room, which is exactly the way Bayou planned it.
“It has to be inviting and warm,” he said. “It has to be a place where people will want to hang out.”
Customers can lounge in the vintage chairs and couches, which feature pillows made out of material from Bayou’s 2004 collection.
Those looking for a genuine Halston touch can find it on the beautiful redwood table designed by Bayou that faces the store’s street entrance. Following Halston’s tradition of always keeping orchids in his stores and offices, Bayou arranges a few fresh orchids on the table every day. —A.A.
