
Biography
Travis Banton (August 18, 1894 – February 2, 1958) was an American costume designer. He is perhaps best known for his long collaboration with actress Marlene Dietrich and director Josef von Sternberg. He is generally considered one of the most important Hollywood costume designers of the golden age.
Born in Waco, Texas, Banton moved to New York City as a child. He was educated at Columbia University and at the Art Students League of New York, where he studied art and fashion design.
An early apprenticeship with a high-society costume dressmaker earned him fame. When Mary Pickford selected one of his dresses for her wedding to Douglas Fairbanks, his reputation was established.
He opened his dressmaking salon in New York City, and soon was asked to create costumes for the Ziegfeld Follies. In 1924, Banton moved to Hollywood when Paramount contracted with him to create costumes for his first film, The Dressmaker from Paris.
Beginning with Norma Talmadge in Poppy, Banton designed clothing for Pola Negri and Clara Bow in the 1920s. In the 1930s and 1940s, Banton designed for Kay Francis, Lilyan Tashman, Sylvia Sidney, Gail Patrick, Helen Vinson, and Claudette Colbert. Ultimately, Banton may be best remembered for forging the style of such Hollywood icons as Carole Lombard, Marlene Dietrich, and Mae West. Dietrich and Banton had an especially close and successful collaboration. His work for Dietrich frequently is referenced by designers.
Glamour, subtle elegance, and exquisite fabrics endeared Banton to Hollywood's celebrated beauties and made him one of the more sought-after costume designers of his era. As viewings of such films as The Gilded Lily (1935) and Desire (1936) reveal, his costume designs were marked by form-flattering cuts (often on the bias), rich fabrics (such as satin and lamé), and extravagant textures (beads, fur, and feathers). He collaborated closely with directors and actresses in order to fulfil their vision.
When designer Howard Greer left Paramount, Banton was promoted to head designer and was responsible for dressing the studio's stars. Because of his worsening alcoholism, and according to some commentators, at the instigation of his assistant Edith Head, Banton was forced to leave Paramount. He returned to designing privately for loyal stars and occasionally designed for Twentieth Century-Fox from 1939 to 1941 and Universal from 1945 to 1948.
Filmography
All 168
Movies 168
Self 1

Never a Dull Moment (1950)

The Velvet Touch (1948)

Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)

The Paradine Case (1947)

Secret Beyond the Door (1947)

Time Out Of Mind (1947)

Magnificent Doll (1946)

Canyon Passage (1946)

Tangier (1946)

Scarlet Street (1945)

Paris Underground (1945)

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945)

Roughly Speaking (1945)

Wonder Man (1945)

Cover Girl (1944)

A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941)

Belle Starr (1941)

Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

Charley's Aunt (1941)

Moon Over Miami (1941)

Man Hunt (1941)

Blood and Sand (1941)

The Great American Broadcast (1941)

That Night in Rio (1941)

Western Union (1941)

Tall, Dark and Handsome (1941)

Hudson's Bay (1941)

Chad Hanna (1940)

Tin Pan Alley (1940)

The Mark of Zorro (1940)

Down Argentine Way (1940)

Public Deb No. 1 (1940)

The Great Profile (1940)

The Return of Frank James (1940)

The Man I Married (1940)

Maryland (1940)

Four Sons (1940)

Lillian Russell (1940)

Slightly Honorable (1939)

Raffles (1939)

Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939)

The Great Commandment (1939)

Made for Each Other (1939)

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)

Romance in the Dark (1938)

Tovarich (1937)

True Confession (1937)

Nothing Sacred (1937)

Angel (1937)

Sophie Lang Goes West (1937)

Artists & Models (1937)

High, Wide and Handsome (1937)

Easy Living (1937)

I Met Him in Paris (1937)

Internes Can't Take Money (1937)

Maid of Salem (1937)

Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937)

The General Died at Dawn (1936)

Valiant Is the Word for Carrie (1936)

The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936)

My Man Godfrey (1936)

Yours for the Asking (1936)

The Princess Comes Across (1936)

Desire (1936)

Love Before Breakfast (1936)

Give Us This Night (1936)

Rose of the Rancho (1936)

The Bride Comes Home (1935)

So Red the Rose (1935)

The Fashion Side of Hollywood (1935)

Hands Across the Table (1935)

Two-Fisted (1935)

Accent on Youth (1935)

Shanghai (1935)

Smart Girl (1935)

The Devil Is a Woman (1935)

Goin' to Town (1935)

Love in Bloom (1935)

Private Worlds (1935)

Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)

The Gilded Lily (1935)

The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)

Enter Madame (1935)

Imitation of Life (1934)

Cleopatra (1934)

Belle of the Nineties (1934)

Ladies Should Listen (1934)

Kiss and Make-Up (1934)

Murder at the Vanities (1934)

The Scarlet Empress (1934)

Death Takes a Holiday (1934)

Bolero (1934)

Nana (1934)

Design for Living (1933)

Girl without a Room (1933)

I'm No Angel (1933)

Torch Singer (1933)

Three-Cornered Moon (1933)

The Song of Songs (1933)

Disgraced! (1933)

College Humor (1933)

International House (1933)

The Eagle and the Hawk (1933)

The Story of Temple Drake (1933)

Supernatural (1933)

Terror Aboard (1933)

From Hell to Heaven (1933)

The Crime of the Century (1933)

Luxury Liner (1933)

Tonight Is Ours (1933)

No Man of Her Own (1932)

A Farewell to Arms (1932)

Evenings for Sale (1932)

Night After Night (1932)

Trouble in Paradise (1932)

The Phantom President (1932)

Blonde Venus (1932)

Love Me Tonight (1932)

Devil and the Deep (1932)

The Man from Yesterday (1932)

Thunder Below (1932)

One Hour with You (1932)

Strangers in Love (1932)

Shanghai Express (1932)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

Working Girls (1931)

Girls About Town (1931)

24 Hours (1931)

The Mad Parade (1931)

An American Tragedy (1931)

I Take This Woman (1931)

The Lawyer's Secret (1931)

Up Pops the Devil (1931)

Ladies' Man (1931)

Dishonored (1931)

The Royal Family of Broadway (1930)

Morocco (1930)

Fast and Loose (1930)

The Virtuous Sin (1930)

Follow Thru (1930)

Let's Go Native (1930)

For the Defense (1930)

A Man from Wyoming (1930)

Safety in Numbers (1930)

The Benson Murder Case (1930)

Sarah and Son (1930)

Slightly Scarlet (1930)

The Vagabond King (1930)

Street of Chance (1930)

Behind the Make-Up (1930)

The Dance of Life (1929)

The Greene Murder Case (1929)

The Wild Party (1929)

The Canary Murder Case (1929)

The Docks of New York (1928)

Ladies of the Mob (1928)

The Legion of the Condemned (1928)

Red Hair (1928)

Doomsday (1928)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1928)

The Last Command (1928)

Underworld (1927)

Children of Divorce (1927)

It (1927)

Mantrap (1926)

Are Parents People? (1925)

The Dressmaker from Paris (1925)

The Swan (1925)
Ratings
Information
Known forCostume & Make-Up
GenderMale
Birthday1894-08-18
Deathday1958-02-02 (63 years old)
Place of birthWaco, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
This article uses material from Wikipedia.