William Travilla, the renowned costume designer, was born on March 22, 1920, on Catalina Island off the California coast. He developed a precocious talent for drawing fashion design from an early age, studying at the Chouinard School of Art in L.A. By the time he was sixteen, he was already making money by selling sketches of costume designs for showgirls he had studied at burlesque houses.
Travilla's early career was marked by limited success, with few assignments during his two-year tenure at Columbia in 1941. However, his fortunes changed in 1946 when he was spotted by actress Ann Sheridan at a nightclub, who became an instant admirer of his work. Sheridan persuaded Travilla to become her personal costume designer at Warner Brothers, although this didn't quite come to pass.
Travilla's breakthrough came in 1948 when he won the Academy Award for the lavish and colorful costumes of Adventures of Don Juan, alongside Leah Rhodes and Marjorie Best. He then went on to 20th Century Fox, where he experienced the most productive period of his career, designing costumes for established stars like Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, and Loretta Young.
Travilla is perhaps most famous for his iconic gowns designed for Marilyn Monroe in eight of her most popular films, including How to Marry a Millionaire, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and The Seven Year Itch. One of the dresses from The Seven Year Itch sold at auction for $4.6 million in 2011.
After his contract with Fox expired in 1956, Travilla focused on his own exclusive label, designing a collection of ready-to-wear 'California' fashion. He continued to freelance in the 1960s, working primarily for television, and won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Costume Design for The Scarlett O'Hara War and Dallas.
An exhibition of Travilla's personal collection, under the auspices of his longtime collaborator William Sarris, went on a world tour in 2008, showcasing his impressive body of work.
