Nashville is about to host a slice of 1970s fashion royalty. On October 17, the 1 Hotel Nashville becomes the stage for “HALSTON: A Legacy of Style & Taste,” a multi-part celebration blending a student fashion competition, an art exhibit, and a Studio 54-inspired disco afterparty built around the legacy of designer Halston.
The event is being brought to Music City by the With Love Halston Foundation, which is partnering with local museum collective Culture & Co. and Lipscomb University to stage the evening, according to Nashville Lifestyles. Culture & Co. operates in Nashville alongside its non-profit collective The Co.terie, and the organization curates collaborative arts initiatives across Music City. The night is designed to honor Halston's influence on fashion, creativity, and culture while spotlighting the next generation of creative talent, per the same report.
Lipscomb's connection to Halston runs deeper than a one-night partnership. The university's Department of Fashion, Art & Design has maintained a Halston collection for roughly two decades, featuring about 100 original garments, 54 boxes of patterns, sketches by Joe Eula, runway photos, and press books, making Lipscomb's collection one of the three largest Halston archives in the United States, Lipscomb University says.
How a Nashville University Became a Fashion Archive
The collection's path to Nashville has an unlikely backstory. Cosmetics executive Georgette Mosbacher transferred the Halston archive to Lipscomb in the 2000s after high storage costs and limited space at institutions like the Fashion Institute of Technology left the collection in need of a permanent home, the Nashville Scene reported, noting the collection had previously been held through corporate licensing agreements following Halston's 1990 death.
That archive now anchors the With Love Halston Design Challenge, in which Lipscomb fashion students create original Halston-inspired designs and compete for a scholarship funded by the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation. Peretti, an Italian jewelry designer, was one of Halston's closest friends and longtime muses. Participating students have access to the Lipscomb archive as they develop their runway pieces.
A Foundation Built on Family Ties
The nonprofit behind the scholarship traces its roots directly to Halston's inner circle. With Love Halston was established by Halston's niece and archive guardian Lesley Frowick, who was personally appointed by Halston before his death to oversee his personal archive, alongside fashion industry veterans including illustrator Audrey Schilt, Scott Vogel, and the late Steve Gold, per With Love Halston's account.
Schilt's own history with Halston stretches back to the start of his fame. Halston designed the pillbox hat First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy wore to President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inauguration, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For the Nashville exhibit, Schilt has co-created a specially commissioned art piece with painter-poet Genesis The Greykid.
From Versailles to JCPenney: A Career of Highs and Pivots
Halston's career offers no shortage of material for the exhibit's retrospective arc. His Model Number 704 Ultrasuede shirtwaist dress debuted in fall 1972 and was made from machine-washable Ultrasuede. The evening also features an Ultrasuede Dinner. The Battle of Versailles was a historic 1973 fashion show, according to the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Halston's trajectory took a sharp commercial turn with his JCPenney collaboration. He collaborated with the retailer on a Halston III line, and Bergdorf Goodman rejected his high-end line.
What Nashville Guests Can Expect
The October 17 evening at 1 Hotel Nashville is structured to move guests through several distinct experiences. It begins with the Ultrasuede Dinner pairing Halston-inspired cuisine from 1 Kitchen with Billecart-Salmon champagne and Peirson Meyer wines, followed by a cocktail reception featuring live illustrators. Guests can also view the Halston archive exhibit and art show, including the newly commissioned Schilt and Genesis The Greykid collaboration, per Nashville Lifestyles.
From there, the program shifts to competition and celebration: a runway presentation featuring the Lipscomb students' original designs, a silent auction, and an awards ceremony recognizing emerging talent. The night wraps with the House of Halston Studio 54 Disco Afterparty, inviting guests to dance beneath a disco ball in a nod to the designer's famed nightlife era — an evening organizers describe as combining fashion history with the future of design.
