New York Fashion Week: Halston. Not Back Yet.

In about 10 minutes I'm off to the Halston party. I was surprised that it was being held at Don Hills, which I remember as a rock and roll dive bar from my days here. But my friend Alex told me that the cool kids -- from Brooklyn, natch -- turned the place into a disco one night a week. So Halston is trying to show they've got their finger on the pulse of a new generation of disco kids.

But unfortunately the clothes they showed on the runway wouldn't impress those kids. In a day where Peter Som and Oscar de la Renta showed magnificent and inventive designs, Halston's new designer just went back to the archives. Everything was monochromatic, mostly in shades of mud. The shapes were straight from the 1970s. But not in a cool way. I recently bought an Azzaro trench designed by Vanessa Steward. It has silver lame trim, sparkly buttons and a tight fit. It's the 70s as I want to remember them. The Halston collection reminded me of items of my mother's that I've been holding onto and sometimes wear, but know that they never look quite right. In other words, it was the 1970s as they actually were.

One of Halston's great loves was Ultra-Suede -- the washable suede-like fabric. The great failing of my Azzaro coat (and if you live in London, this is significant) is that it can't be worn in the rain. But there was no ultra-suede in the Halston collection either. Why? Probably because they think they can charge more for real suede.

But all is not lost. It wasn't a runaway hit, but it wasn't an abandon ship disaster, either. If Marco can gain confidence and start thinking about what Halston would be doing now instead of what he was doing then, he might just have something.

Here are my pictures. And yes, I know, I am no Brent Murray.

Harvey Weinstein, partner in the new venture, was doing his bit for the cause. He roped in Liza Minnelli and was pressing flesh like a real pro, introducing her to the powers that be at Neiman Marcus. I'm doubtful that meeting Liza is enough to get them to sign on in an economic climate like this one. And I have a hard time imagining those dresses on the red carpet. But I've got high hopes for the party. Fashionistas of all ages love a chance to line dance.

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