Halston: An American Original

Born Roy Halston Frowick in Iowa (where he made his first outfit with chicken feathers at age 6), Halston may be best remembered as a fixture at Studio 54, often accompanied by pal Liza Minnelli. But this gorgeous coffee-table tribute makes a convincing case that his clean, modern designs ''put American fashion on the map.'' He initially gained attention for his hats, including the pillbox Jackie Kennedy wore at JFK's inaugural. And in 1968 he started his own clothing line, revolutionizing fashion with stylish ready-to-wear collections. After a perusal of the glamorous images in Gross and Rottman's respectful biography, you'll surely agree that Halston's death from AIDS in 1990 left the fashion world a much less colorful place. A-