Kingy 2011 design history: Travis Banton Post 3 Tenarra.

Travis Banton, the chief designer at Paramount Pictures, was an important Hollywood costume designer in the 1930s. Starting off as a costume designer of high societies in New York City, Banton gained his initial fame by designing the wedding dress of Mary Pickford.

He operated his own dressmaking store within the city and through his hype gained the opportunity to be involved in the costume design of the Zeigfeild Follies. Banton later moved to Hollywood to join the Paramount team in 1924 where he designed for his first film, 'The Dress maker From Paris.'

Banton went on to design for an array of stars. His attention to glamour and elegance became the fabric that styled stars such as Mae West and Carole Lombard. Trade marked by simple yet stylish designs expressed through rich fabrics and decoration materials such as feathers. This is especially shown in he films ‘The Gilded Lily’ and ‘Desire.’

After many years at Paramount Banton was forced to leave. His constant alcoholism and repeated instigation of his subordinate Edith Head had become too much and was subsequently fired. Banton created his own business and did short stints of design for Twentieth-Century Fox and Universal.