The Washington times., 1937-01-09
Bantor Reveals the Art
OF Dressing Movie Stars
Head Designer Makes
Originals Copied BY
Whole World
BY LYDIA CALVERT
Special to The Washington Times
HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 9.


thick as treacle around Travis.
Harder to see than the stars, the
handful Of great designers hide
behind large drawing boards in
small offices in some remote cor
ner Of the lot. 1t was a game Of
wits to track them down.
At S I was there, but not the
great designer.
'Mr. BantOn got tired and
went home"
ELUDED GUEST
50 he had eluded mel My face
fell.
"Mr. Banton said for you to
come to his home to see him.
He's expecting you for tea"
From then on everything that
happened is unbelievable. The
completely natural and charming
person that I found Travis to be,
the fabulous beauty of his home,
the little Southern lady who is
his mother, dinner in q room
whose walls were decorated with
ladies flambuoyantly decked with
floating feathers and among
whom one could distinguish the
likeness of DIETRICH, Lombard
and Colbert, the. ride home in
the famous beige touring car
which appeared on a magazine
cover a year ago with DIETRICH
stepping into it,
Built On Hill
The house is built on a noun
tain side and strings down the III
cline in the most fascinating way.
Inside, walls, floor and ceilings
are navy blue and ceilings are
navy blue-almoSt black. Each
room has brilliant splaShes of fur.
niture. Pink velvet sofas in the
drawing room, Chinese red in the
bar, apple green in the library.
It's q house to 60 into raptureS
over-you would never find 1t in
a magazine or a decorators win
dow but only in the fertile imagi-
nation Of the original mind.
Travis has been head designer
for Paramount for IL years. He
does all of the clothes that Mar
lene DIETRICH wears+so even If
we didn't enlarge on his achieve
mentS that gives You a pretty
good idea as to the caliber of his
work. He also does the same for
Carole Lombard and for Miss
Claudette Colbert.
Marlene Story
It's O cute story that Travis
tells about Marlene so let's hear
him. He says:
"YOu remember when Deit-
rich was wearing mems clothes
entirely? Well, I put her into
feminine things again but it
was nightmare to do 1t.
"She was going to the TrOcO-
deFO with MamOulian that /
night. In some strange way 1
got her to consent to let me
try something different on her.
/ took some beautiful satin
that / had. black on one side,
green on the other, and went
to work on her. She was sup
posed to meet MamOulian at
s and at 10 we were still work
ing. / was scared to death
she'd run out on me before 1t
was over.
Every now and then she'd get
. restless look in her eye but
somehow we kept her there till
the dress was finished. Finally
she surveyed herself critically
In the glass.
Travis, you've made me look
like a Pasadena debutante,' said
Marlene, but she went to the
party and next day Travis got
a regular coffin Of flowers from
her. They really made me feel
q little silly"
Mr.. Banton speaks gayly OF
Carole Lombard, of Claudette.
"CarOle? Oh adore her
more than anyone in the world.
/ feel like she's my child. I've
been doing every stitch she
wears for four or five years
now"
LIKE WILDFIRE
He speaks Of the little mani.
curiSts dress he did for her in
Hands Across the Table" 1t
was completely simple but it took
like wildfire.
--latest reports are that it has
sold 10000 dOZen-I thought
they were going to say 10000
the dozen flOOred me. It's really
gotten to be 4 menace"
He speaks of a little dress he
did which was Nemesis to me-"
Designed for a little golddigger it
didn't pretend to be anything but
tacky and gold-diggerish but they
took it up and copied it all over
the country.
"It was in every shop window
along Main Street, / hated it.
But I don't know the answer.
Those things are going to
happen until some sort Of
censorship takes place."
I hate to leave Travis. There's
so much to be said Of his charm,
his great genius, his gayety.
Known all over the world as one
Of the firSt-String designers today
he Is nevertheless a person who
has never let success interfere
with the art Of living. Instead
of being led by 1t he bends it