Travilla (1920-1990)

Alias:
Bill
William Jack Travilla
William Travilla

Birthplace:
Los Angeles, California, USA

Born:
March 22, 1920

Died:
November 2, 1990

The man who draped a fringed Idaho potato sack on Marilyn Monroe for a famous snapshot - proving that she looked good in anything - was born on Catalina Island off the California coast on March 22 1920. He studied at the Chouinard School of Art in L.A., showing a precocious talent for drawing fashion design from an early age. By the time he was sixteen, he made money by selling sketches of costume designs for showgirls he had studied at burlesque houses.  Found unfit for wartime duties due to flat feet, William Travilla made his way to Hollywood and signed his first contract as costume designer at Columbia in 1941. However, during his two-year tenure he received rather few assignments and left disillusioned. Little work came his way during the next few years, until, in 1946, he was spotted in a nightclub (selling travel sketches of the South Pacific) by the actress Ann Sheridan, who became an instant admirer of his work. Sheridan persuaded Travilla to become her personal costume designer at Warner Brothers. This didn't quite come to pass, though he did design her gowns for Nora Prentiss (1947). More importantly, he notched up his first major success by winning the Academy Award for the lavish and colourful costumes of Adventures of Don Juan (1948) in conjunction with Leah Rhodes and Marjorie Best. After his three year contract was up, Travilla went on to 20th Century Fox, for what would become the most productive period of his career in the film business. At the same time, he set up his own high end fashion salon, Travilla Inc., in Los Angeles, creating several collections of elegant, award-winning designs.  Travilla dressed many established stars, from Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford, to Loretta Young. However, he is chiefly remembered for the iconic gowns, designed for Marilyn Monroe's famous hourglass shape in eight of her most popular films. These include her sexy satin number from How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), the gold lame dress with the sun ray pleats glimpsed in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and, subsequently, at the 1953 Photoplay Awards (over Travilla's objections); and, of course, the white cocktail dress famously uplifted above the subway grate in The Seven Year Itch (1955). One of three versions of the latter sold at auction for $ 4.6 million in 2011. Despite their close working relationship, Travilla later went on record describing Marilyn on a personal level as 'childlike' and plagued by feelings of inadequacy.  After his contract with Fox expired in 1956, Travilla tended to his own exclusive label, designing a collection of ready-to-wear 'California' fashion. In the 1960's, he continued to freelance, working primarily for television. He showed off a young Connie Sellecca to great effect in a murder mystery revolving around the fashion industry, fittingly titled She's Dressed to Kill (1979). Ever synonymous with a bygone era of glamour, he went on to win two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Costume Design for The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980) and for Dallas (1978). An exhibition of his personal collection, under the auspices of his longtime collaborator William Sarris, went on a world tour in 2008.

Additional information:

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Costume Design:
1941  Fiesta
1943  The Desperadoes
1943  The Woman of the Town
1947  Cry Wolf
1947  Escape Me Never
1947  My Wild Irish Rose
1947  Nora Prentiss
1948  Two Guys from Texas
1949  Dancing in the Dark
1949  Flamingo Road
1949  Look for the Silver Lining
1949  The Inspector General
1950  American Guerrilla in the Philippines
1950  I'll Get By
1950  Mister 880
1950  Mother Didn't Tell Me
1950  No Way Out
1950  Panic in the Streets
1950  The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady
1950  The Gunfighter
1950  When Willie Comes Marching Home
1951  Bird of Paradise
1951  Meet Me After the Show
1951  On the Riviera
1951  Rawhide
1951  The Day the Earth Stood Still
1952  Bloodhounds of Broadway
1952  Don't Bother to Knock
1952  Viva Zapata!
1953  Appointment in Honduras
1953  Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
1953  How to Marry a Millionaire
1953  King of the Khyber Rifles
1953  Man in the Attic
1953  Pickup on South Street
1953  Powder River
1953  The Farmer Takes a Wife
1953  The Girl Next Door
1954  Black Widow
1954  Broken Lance
1954  Garden of Evil
1954  Princess of the Nile
1954  River of No Return
1954  The Raid
1954  There's No Business Like Show Business
1954  Three Young Texans
1955  How To Be Very, Very Popular
1955  The Left Hand of God
1955  The Rains of Ranchipur
1955  The Seven Year Itch
1955  The Tall Men
1955  White Feather
1956  23 Paces to Baker Street
1956  Bus Stop
1956  The Bottom of the Bottle
1956  The Lieutenant Wore Skirts
1956  The Proud Ones
1956  The Revolt of Mamie Stover
1960  From the Terrace
1963  Take Her, She's Mine
1963  The Stripper
1967  Valley of the Dolls
1968  The Secret Life of an American Wife
1979  She's Dressed to Kill
1980  Caboblanco
1980  The Scarlett O'Hara War
1980  The Silent Lovers
1980  This Year's Blonde
1981  Evita Peron
1981  Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy

Costume Designer:
1941  Fiesta
1943  The Desperadoes
1943  The Woman of the Town
1947  Cry Wolf
1947  Escape Me Never
1947  My Wild Irish Rose
1947  Nora Prentiss
1947  The Unfaithful
1948  Silver River
1948  Two Guys from Texas
1949  Dancing in the Dark
1949  Flamingo Road
1949  Look for the Silver Lining
1949  The Inspector General
1950  American Guerrilla in the Philippines
1950  I'll Get By
1950  Mister 880
1950  Mother Didn't Tell Me
1950  No Way Out
1950  Panic in the Streets
1950  The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady
1950  The Gunfighter
1950  When Willie Comes Marching Home
1951  Bird of Paradise
1951  Meet Me After the Show
1951  On the Riviera
1951  Rawhide
1951  The Day the Earth Stood Still
1952  Bloodhounds of Broadway
1952  Don't Bother to Knock
1952  Monkey Business
1952  Viva Zapata!
1953  Appointment in Honduras
1953  Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
1953  How to Marry a Millionaire
1953  King of the Khyber Rifles
1953  Man in the Attic
1953  Pickup on South Street
1953  Powder River
1953  The Farmer Takes a Wife
1953  The Girl Next Door
1954  Black Widow
1954  Broken Lance
1954  Garden of Evil
1954  Hell and High Water
1954  Princess of the Nile
1954  River of No Return
1954  The Raid
1954  There's No Business Like Show Business
1954  Three Young Texans
1955  How To Be Very, Very Popular
1955  The Left Hand of God
1955  The Rains of Ranchipur
1955  The Seven Year Itch
1955  The Tall Men
1955  White Feather
1956  23 Paces to Baker Street
1956  Bus Stop
1956  The Bottom of the Bottle
1956  The Lieutenant Wore Skirts
1956  The Proud Ones
1956  The Revolt of Mamie Stover
1960  From the Terrace
1963  Mary, Mary
1963  Take Her, She's Mine
1963  The Stripper
1967  Valley of the Dolls
1968  The Secret Life of an American Wife
1979  She's Dressed to Kill
1980  Caboblanco
1980  The Scarlett O'Hara War
1980  The Silent Lovers
1980  This Year's Blonde
1981  Evita Peron
1981  Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy

Costume Supervisor:
1941  Fiesta
1943  The Desperadoes
1943  The Woman of the Town
1947  Cry Wolf
1947  Escape Me Never
1947  My Wild Irish Rose
1947  Nora Prentiss
1947  The Unfaithful
1948  Adventures of Don Juan
1948  Silver River
1948  Two Guys from Texas
1949  Dancing in the Dark
1949  Flamingo Road
1949  Look for the Silver Lining
1949  The Inspector General
1950  American Guerrilla in the Philippines
1950  I'll Get By
1950  Mister 880
1950  Mother Didn't Tell Me
1950  No Way Out
1950  Panic in the Streets
1950  The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady
1950  The Gunfighter
1950  When Willie Comes Marching Home
1951  Bird of Paradise
1951  Meet Me After the Show
1951  On the Riviera
1951  Rawhide
1951  The Day the Earth Stood Still
1952  Bloodhounds of Broadway
1952  Don't Bother to Knock
1952  Monkey Business
1952  Viva Zapata!
1953  Appointment in Honduras
1953  Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
1953  How to Marry a Millionaire
1953  King of the Khyber Rifles
1953  Man in the Attic
1953  Pickup on South Street
1953  Powder River
1953  The Farmer Takes a Wife
1953  The Girl Next Door
1954  Black Widow
1954  Broken Lance
1954  Garden of Evil
1954  Hell and High Water
1954  Princess of the Nile
1954  River of No Return
1954  The Raid
1954  There's No Business Like Show Business
1954  Three Young Texans
1955  How To Be Very, Very Popular
1955  The Left Hand of God
1955  The Rains of Ranchipur
1955  The Seven Year Itch
1955  The Tall Men
1955  White Feather
1956  23 Paces to Baker Street
1956  Bus Stop
1956  The Bottom of the Bottle
1956  The Lieutenant Wore Skirts
1956  The Proud Ones
1956  The Revolt of Mamie Stover
1960  From the Terrace
1963  Mary, Mary
1963  Take Her, She's Mine
1963  The Stripper
1967  Valley of the Dolls
1968  The Boston Strangler
1968  The Secret Life of an American Wife
1979  She's Dressed to Kill
1980  Caboblanco
1980  The Scarlett O'Hara War
1980  The Silent Lovers
1980  This Year's Blonde
1981  Evita Peron
1981  Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy

Wardrobe Designer:
1941  Fiesta
1943  The Desperadoes
1943  The Woman of the Town
1947  Cry Wolf
1947  Escape Me Never
1947  Love and Learn
1947  My Wild Irish Rose
1947  Nora Prentiss
1947  The Beast with Five Fingers
1947  The Unfaithful
1948  Adventures of Don Juan
1948  Silver River
1948  Two Guys from Texas
1949  Dancing in the Dark
1949  Flamingo Road
1949  Look for the Silver Lining
1949  The Inspector General
1950  American Guerrilla in the Philippines
1950  I'll Get By
1950  Mister 880
1950  Mother Didn't Tell Me
1950  No Way Out
1950  Panic in the Streets
1950  The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady
1950  The Gunfighter
1950  When Willie Comes Marching Home
1951  Bird of Paradise
1951  Meet Me After the Show
1951  On the Riviera
1951  Rawhide
1951  The Day the Earth Stood Still
1952  Bloodhounds of Broadway
1952  Don't Bother to Knock
1952  Monkey Business
1952  Viva Zapata!
1953  Appointment in Honduras
1953  Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
1953  How to Marry a Millionaire
1953  King of the Khyber Rifles
1953  Man in the Attic
1953  Pickup on South Street
1953  Powder River
1953  The Farmer Takes a Wife
1953  The Girl Next Door
1954  Black Widow
1954  Broken Lance
1954  Garden of Evil
1954  Hell and High Water
1954  Princess of the Nile
1954  River of No Return
1954  The Raid
1954  There's No Business Like Show Business
1954  Three Young Texans
1955  How To Be Very, Very Popular
1955  The Left Hand of God
1955  The Rains of Ranchipur
1955  The Seven Year Itch
1955  The Tall Men
1955  White Feather
1956  23 Paces to Baker Street
1956  Bus Stop
1956  The Bottom of the Bottle
1956  The Lieutenant Wore Skirts
1956  The Proud Ones
1956  The Revolt of Mamie Stover
1960  From the Terrace
1963  Mary, Mary
1963  Take Her, She's Mine
1963  The Stripper
1967  Valley of the Dolls
1968  The Boston Strangler
1968  The Secret Life of an American Wife
1979  She's Dressed to Kill
1980  Caboblanco
1980  The Scarlett O'Hara War
1980  The Silent Lovers
1980  This Year's Blonde
1981  Evita Peron
1981  Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy

Costume Design:
1983  The Thorn Birds

Costume Designer:
1958  Shirley Temple's Storybook
1983  The Thorn Birds

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