Iconic fashion design label Halston has been given a new lease of life, thanks to film mogul Harvey Weinstein and Tamara Mellon, president of Jimmy Choo Ltd. The pair have bought out the label for a reported sum of $22 million.

Those of us who are old enough to remember Halston need no introduction to his work, but for those who aren’t familiar with it, his style was everything a chic woman could want - simple, streamlined, classic and highly wearable.

In this, he was an archetypal American designer, and he was possibly the biggest influence on American fashion throughout the 1970s. He dressed, among others, Bianca Jagger, Jerry Hall, Jackie Kennedy (for whom he invented the pillbox hat) and Liza Minnelli, and the list of today’s designers influenced by him would have to contain Donna Karan, Calvin Klein and uber-designer Tom Ford, especially his work for Gucci.

When you think of Fay Dunaway in Network and Helmut Newton’s photography, that’s the spirit of Halston.

Halston’s (Roy Halston Frowick’s) life ended in drug abuse, cancer and AIDs, but he was originally a milliner, and brought that attention to detail and understanding of structure to his clothing designs. Designers who start out by making hats (like Chanel) have an innate understanding of how to frame an image, how a detail can make a telling difference, and how finishing can make or break a garment.

In his clothing ranges, which were defiantly ready-to-wear rather than couture, Halston avoided unnecessary details such as zips and buttons, preferring over-the-head halterneck dresses, and wrap coats. Materials were luxurious - cashmere, silk jersey, and the colour palette subdued in shades of black, camel and biscuit. His favourite fabric was ultrasuede, and his best-selling garment ‘number 704′, was a knee-length ultrasuede shirt that was knocked off by the million for girls at lower price points like me.

It remains to be seen whether the new helmsman, Marco Zanini (the sixth designer to head Halston since the designer’s death) can pull the rabbit out of the hat and save the label. Reaction from the press was muted, especially Nicole Phelps at Style.com (where you can see a 37-slide slideshow), but I thought this first collection looked really promising - especially for the over-40s babe. A subdued colour palette consisting mostly of greige and slightly ‘off’ chromes and limes, and clothes that looked extremely wearable rather than outrageous. Good luck to Mr Zanini for designing clothes that women can actually walk, talk and sit down in.

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