“Elsa Peretti & Halston: Beyond Design” was an event organised by the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation -Delegació a Catalunya at Barcelona’s Teatre Akadèmia in 2023. The event was a unique opportunity to examine the legacy of the artistic collaboration between two design icons- the jewellery designer Elsa Peretti and fashion designer Halston- whose work together includes the iconic teardrop-shaped bottle of Halston perfume and the historic fashion show known as “The Battle of Versailles”.

Following a screening of the documentary ‘Halston’ directed by Frédéric Tcheng (2019), the artistic director of Teatre Akadèmia, Guido Torlonia, welcomed a number of speakers to the stage. These included Stefano Palumbo, Board Member of the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation and the moderator of the talk; Lesley Frowick, Halston’s niece, Founder and Director of Halston Personal Archives and Founder of the non-profit With Love Halston Scholarship Foundation; public relations, writer and journalist Carlos Martorell and scientific director of IED Barcelona’s Fashion Department, Pilar Pasamontes. The speakers paid homage to Elsa Peretti as a pioneering woman in art and philanthropy and discussed her creative relationship with Halston, from the early days when she started making designs for his first shows to the memorable day in 1974 when Halston presented Elsa Peretti to Mr. Walter Hoving, who was chairman of Tiffany & Co. at the time.

The talk also touched on the present with a discussion of how the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation and With Love Halston have worked together to promote the work of young talents through scholarships.