Halston was a real, influential designer known for his minimalist style, charisma, and lavish lifestyle, but also for his temper and later struggles. The series captures many real aspects of his career and personality, but his family has called it an "inaccurate, fictionalized account," indicating dramatization.

Liza Minnelli was a very close friend and muse to Halston throughout his career. The series accurately portrays their deep bond and her support for him, though their initial meeting is fictionalized for dramatic effect.

Elsa Peretti was a real model for Halston and became a famed jewelry designer for Tiffany & Co., also designing Halston's perfume bottle. Their intense, sometimes contentious, but deeply connected relationship is depicted, though some acquaintances felt the portrayal didn't fully capture her unique androgynous persona.

Joe Eula was a prominent fashion illustrator and indeed served as Halston's creative director for a significant period. His influential role and close working relationship with Halston are accurately represented.

Victor Hugo was Halston's real-life, long-term partner, and their relationship was known to be passionate and destructive, involving infidelity and exploitation. The series depicts this stormy dynamic, including Hugo's manipulative behavior.

David Mahoney was the head of Norton Simon Inc., which acquired Halston Limited. Their business relationship, the initial success, and the eventual clashes over the brand's direction and Halston's loss of control are based on real events.

Halston gained initial widespread fame for designing the pillbox hat Jacqueline Kennedy wore to her husband's presidential inauguration in 1961. This event is accurately depicted as a major turning point in his career.

This was a real and pivotal event where five American designers (including Halston) competed against five French haute couture designers at the Palace of Versailles. The American designers, with their modern approach and use of Black models, were seen as triumphant, significantly boosting American fashion's global standing.

Halston was a pioneer in American ready-to-wear, and his Ultrasuede shirtdress became a massive commercial success and a signature design. The series accurately portrays his innovation in materials and minimalist aesthetic.

Halston's first perfume, launched in the mid-1970s, was a huge commercial success, partly due to its unique teardrop-shaped bottle designed by Elsa Peretti. These facts are accurately presented in the series.

Halston, along with Liza Minnelli, Elsa Peretti, and other members of his entourage, was a prominent figure at the legendary New York nightclub Studio 54 during its heyday in the late 1970s. The series accurately depicts this hedonistic aspect of his life.

Halston signed a lucrative licensing deal with JCPenney in the 1980s to create an affordable line, a move that was groundbreaking but ultimately devalued his high-fashion image and led to conflicts with his parent company. This controversial business decision and its consequences are accurately portrayed.

Halston's increasing reliance on cocaine, particularly in the late 1970s and 1980s, and its negative impact on his work and behavior, is well-documented and a central theme in the series.

Due to various business deals and corporate takeovers (Norton Simon Inc. by Esmark, then Playtex), Halston progressively lost creative and business control over his fashion house, eventually being barred from designing under his own name. This tragic downfall is a key and accurate part of his story.

Halston had a long, notoriously stormy, and often destructive relationship with Victor Hugo, which included emotional abuse and exploitation. The series depicts the intensity and toxicity of this real-life affair.

Halston was diagnosed with AIDS and passed away from AIDS-related lung cancer in 1990. The series addresses his illness and final years.

Halston (Roy Halston Frowick) did grow up in Des Moines, Iowa, and had an early interest in sewing, making hats for his mother and grandmother. While the series uses these flashbacks to provide context, specific scenes and dialogues are likely dramatized for narrative effect.

The series effectively captures the evolving New York fashion world, from the more formal 1960s to the glamorous and disco-infused 1970s, and the corporate 1980s. The competitive and creative atmosphere is well portrayed.

Halston's lavish, red-and-mirrored office and apartment in Manhattan's Olympic Tower were legendary for their design and as a hub for his work and social life. The set design in the series accurately recreates this distinctive environment.

The series portrays Studio 54 as the epicenter of 1970s hedonism, exclusivity, and celebrity culture, which aligns with historical accounts of the infamous nightclub. The drug use, sexual freedom, and high-energy disco scene are accurately depicted.

The series showcases many of Halston's iconic designs, such as Ultrasuede dresses, halter tops, and minimalist gowns, with a high degree of accuracy. The general costumes worn by other characters also effectively reflect the fashion trends of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.

Attention to detail is evident in the recreation of period interiors, from Halston's early millinery shop at Bergdorf Goodman to his opulent showrooms and homes. VFX was also used to ensure period accuracy in exterior shots and cityscapes.

Halston was known for using a diverse group of models, often referred to as "Halstonettes," who embodied his modern, chic aesthetic. The series accurately shows this aspect of his branding and his close relationship with his models.

The series realistically portrays the increasing corporatization of fashion in the 1970s and 80s, including the allure and pitfalls of licensing deals and the impact of corporate ownership on creative designers like Halston.

The show captures the vibrancy, artistic energy, and social changes occurring in New York City, from the rise of disco culture to the later shadow of the AIDS epidemic. The general atmosphere of creative ferment and excess is well conveyed.