Halston once said, “You’re only as good as the people you dress,” and Ken Downing is eyeing those with deeper pockets.
In his third season as creative director, Downing is evolving the Xcel-owned brand’s price position for fall 2024, further bolstering its contemporary image.
“When the stores are coming in, they’re asking for things that are more elevated in design, elevated in fabrication, and with that you’re gonna have higher prices,” he explained. So sashes were elongated, the satin hammered and draping is now done on a form, rather than going straight from sketch to pattern. “It gives bravado to the clothes.”
Premium styles like a $1,200 cape-back bustier and a $2,950 hand-beaded chevron caftan, both worn with sassy stretch-sequin disco flares, serve as the “the cherry on top,” of Halston’s midrange offering, which will be bumped slightly from $395 to $495 for entry level. “It’s a slow elevation to position Halston where it belongs, not only in the evening department, but to become something of an introductory designer brand,” said Downing.
His merchandising strategy is keeping pace with wholesalers, like former employer Neiman Marcus, which continue to see the most potential in top-tier spenders even amid a luxury slowdown.
But Downing knew he was on the right path when specialty accounts like Ikram in Chicago and Stanley Korshak in Dallas picked up the line, responding well to his versatile take on party attire driven by a “light lean” into the archives. Their highlights include cashmere dusters and asymmetric cotton shirting alongside groovier chiffon and velvet dresses with abstract prints.
Also central to the collection are faux-leather orchid attachments and a cherry red hue pulled from Halston’s legendary lacquered office inside Olympic Tower, while belts featuring amorphic silver hearts were inspired by the designer’s long-standing collaboration with Elsa Perretti.
Asked whether these could segue into a line of in-house jewelry, Downing remained elusive. “I can’t give away all my secrets,” he said.
