Inspiration for Halston Collection Came Out of the Blue--Sky, That Is

In September, Halston’s Kevan Hall bucked fashion tradition by not showing his spring collection with other American designers in New York. The shows had been moved up a few weeks, and rather than compromise the tailoring and beading, the Halston show did not go on. Instead, a few weeks after fashion editors and stylists wrapped up their coverage of the New York-Milan-Paris collections, they were treated to a private showing for spring 2000 at the Halston New York showroom. This week, Hall set up shop at the Bel Age Hotel in Beverly Hills to do the same here.

Hall mixed his trademark elegance with an homage to Halston’s signature pared-down glamour: men’s-style taffeta shirts with beaded gowns, simple gowns of layered chiffon and the hammered satin so loved by Halston. Hall said this collection was based on the sky, which he sees quite a bit of in his commutes back and forth from New York. The palette ranged from white to sky blue to midnight blue to black, with mauve and soft green mixed in. One pattern of beading was reminiscent of Vincent Van Gogh’s swirls in his “Starry Night” painting.

He and hair salon owner Allen Edwards will join Joan and Melissa Rivers for “End of the World Fashion Review,” which airs 3 p.m. Saturday on the E! Channel.

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Power (and Health) to the Models: When Rhonda Hudson became president of the Models Guild in March, her goal was to make the union more powerful and inviting to new members. Last week, the union began offering a health plan for members. The guild, Local 51 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union, is open to models, art directors, photographers, stylists and booking agents.

For information on the guild, call (800) 864-4696 or check the Web site at https://www.themodelsguild.org.

Sneak a Peek at Spring: The Fashion Group International of L.A. hosts a presentation on the 2000 spring collections Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at The Times. The evening, with Times fashion staffers Valli Herman-Cohen and Michael Quintanilla, will include a slide show and a panel discussion with designers Allen B. Schwartz of A.B.S. Clothing, Jenisa Washington of Sold and TV stylist Debra McGuire of “Friends.” Tickets are $45 at the door. Info: (818) 990-0250.