Howard Greer(1896-1974)
- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
A graduate from the University of Nebraska in 1916, Greer, like fellow
costume designer Robert Kalloch, served
his early career at the fashion house of
Lady Duff Gordon (Lucile), before
moving on to Paris. There, he worked for the British designer Edward
Henry Molyneux (1891-1974) at 14 Rue Royale,
and the more avant-garde French designer
Paul Poiret (1879-1944). After wartime
service on the Western Front, Greer returned to the United States and
received his first commission creating costumes for the Greenwich
Village Follies in New York.
He was employed in Hollywood from 1923 as chief costume designer for Famous Players Lasky, which later became Paramount. The legendary Edith Head served under Greer as assistant and sketch artist and came into her own, when he left the studio in 1927 to establish his own independent couture label, Greer Inc.. His forte was contemporary design in exclusive, expensively-made ladies' cocktail and dinner dresses. As his reputation grew, he supplied personal wardrobes to stars from Greta Garbo to Gloria Swanson. Greer was signed under contract at RKO from 1932 to 1933 and, again, in 1938. That year, he designed the gowns worn by Katharine Hepburn for the screwball comedy classic Bringing Up Baby (1938). In the same genre, he created Irene Dunne's elegant outfits for My Favorite Wife (1940).
From 1946, Greer Inc. produced primarily high fashion ready-to-wear garments, sold at no more than one store per town. The salon lasted until Greer's retirement in 1962. His memoirs were published in 1951, entitled "Designing Male".
He was employed in Hollywood from 1923 as chief costume designer for Famous Players Lasky, which later became Paramount. The legendary Edith Head served under Greer as assistant and sketch artist and came into her own, when he left the studio in 1927 to establish his own independent couture label, Greer Inc.. His forte was contemporary design in exclusive, expensively-made ladies' cocktail and dinner dresses. As his reputation grew, he supplied personal wardrobes to stars from Greta Garbo to Gloria Swanson. Greer was signed under contract at RKO from 1932 to 1933 and, again, in 1938. That year, he designed the gowns worn by Katharine Hepburn for the screwball comedy classic Bringing Up Baby (1938). In the same genre, he created Irene Dunne's elegant outfits for My Favorite Wife (1940).
From 1946, Greer Inc. produced primarily high fashion ready-to-wear garments, sold at no more than one store per town. The salon lasted until Greer's retirement in 1962. His memoirs were published in 1951, entitled "Designing Male".
