Who was William Travilla, Marilyn Monroe's costume designer?

Exactly one hundred years ago, on June 1, 1926, Norma Jeane Mortenson was born in Los Angeles. She chose the name under which she would live on as a sex symbol, model, actress and singer herself on her thirtieth birthday. Marilyn Monroe christened herself an icon, but for her wardrobe, she needed William Travilla. What was the costume designer's contribution to the Monroe 'brand'?

Natural talent

William Travilla (1920–1990) grew up in Los Angeles, just like Monroe, only without the orphanages and foster homes. "Billy" showed so much talent at the age of eight that he was admitted to the prestigious private Chouinard School of Art. As a teenager, he earned extra money by selling sketches of showgirls in burlesque clubs for three dollars each. Their bodies, and how they moved, fascinated him.

After a period of study and extensive travel, he would surrender to his talent. In 1949, he won his only Oscar for Best Costume Design. Together with two colleagues, he provided the historical menswear for the Spanish romance The Adventures of Don Juan.

Yet his true calling lay in sculpting the female figure, preferably with theatrical costumes. By dressing actresses like Sonja Henie, Ann Sheridan and Jean Peters, his name circulated through the hills of Beverly Hills. From then on, he was simply 'Travilla'. Monroe became his most important muse.

Travilla loved the glamour in the clothes themselves but was less fond of the scene. He was also a hands-on person. As a student, he helped his father with jobs at his car tyre company. He preferred to escape the Hollywood environment, sometimes for months, to take refuge in an unfamiliar culture, such as a tribe in Africa or South America. This down-to-earth nature is reflected in the solid construction of his costumes.

In 1957, Travilla left the film studios behind to establish his own fashion house, again named 'Travilla'. In the late seventies, he moved into television during the heyday of American drama series. After his death in 1990, business partners kept the now-popular clothing line active. The brand was sold in luxury department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue until 2002.

Travilla meets Monroe

In 1950, when Monroe was still a relatively unknown actress, she borrowed Travilla's fitting room. He was under contract with Twentieth Century Fox at the time. One of the most fruitful creative alliances in Hollywood grew from that fleeting encounter. Monroe became a good friend, and even briefly, a lover. She would send him a nude calendar, signed with the words: "Billy, dear, please dress me forever. I love you, Marilyn."

Eight films

Monroe and Travilla subsequently collaborated on eight feature films: Don't Bother to Knock (1952, black cocktail dress); Monkey Business (1952, silk midi dress); Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953, the iconic gold halter dress and pink satin gown); How to Marry a Millionaire (1953, lace and satin evening gowns); River of No Return (1954, red showgirl dress); There's No Business Like Show Business (1954, transparent and champagne-coloured dresses); The Seven Year Itch (1955, the world-famous white pleated 'subway dress'); and Bus Stop (1956, green-and-black showgirl bustier dress).

Beneath seemingly simple clothes, Travilla built structures with corsets, boning, padding and metal wire to emphasise Monroe's hourglass figure. In doing so, he avoided explicit nudity, as it removes the tension. He found illusion more powerful. He was right about that.

Monroe was not superficial on the inside either. The roles as a blonde, or a doll, were mostly imposed on her by Twentieth Century Fox. Even her sultry voice was an affectation, a technique to mask her stutter. Travilla knew the thoughtful woman behind the public bombshell persona. With his considered, suggestive designs, he made a silent contribution to her star status.

Dresses that made history

Travilla's most famous creation is the white 'subway dress' from the famous night scene in The Seven Year Itch, which blows up over a grate, immortalising Monroe's public image. For the fabric, he chose ivory-white cellulose acetate crepe. He preferred natural fabrics like silk, but a synthetic component was necessary to achieve the sunburst pleat structure. To accomplish this feat, Travilla did not rely on local seamstresses but sent the fabric to the Antonini sisters in Rome. They applied the pleats by hand. The dress was auctioned in 2011 for 4.6 million dollars.

Two years earlier, Travilla had already shown how well he worked under pressure with the pink evening gown in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). For the number 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend', he had originally designed a barely-there fishnet bodysuit. The studio head thought it was an excellent idea until Monroe's nude photos surfaced, with all the ensuing consequences. He was given 48 hours to create a more modest alternative. Travilla sewed a strapless 'shocking pink' silk dress in record time, reinforced on the inside with felt. The large bow on the back is not simply pinned on but is attached to the top of the bodice with an intricate pleat.