Travilla 1961

 

An ankle-length white strapless evening sheath with a tracery of water glass beads against silk crepe. Accent bow at the waist.

A slim gown of black chiffon with a side drapery crisscrossed at the hem. A sleeveless bodice over a crepe camisole that ombres from black to deep beige.

Silk linen in goldenrod yellow or white, with a lengthened torso achieved by three-quarter panels on each side, falls from a stitched hip yoke and belt. 

Built-in over-the-shoulder scarf from the V folds on the bodice.

Ombre hand-loomed silk from oyster white to black is the fabric chosen by California designer Travilla for this individual jacket and sheath costume for Spring. For dramatic effect, the black line of the silk is concentrated at the waistline.

An unadorned strapless sheath of white silk linen topped with a sweater made of white souffle, beaded in fine vertical lines of satin bugle beads.

Navy blue crepe Bovary is the basis for a distinctive one-piece dress with a two-piece look that keynotes both daytime and evening. Travilla introduces a square neck bodice with middy looks as a slim skirt lifts to the waist and ties in a bow.

Over a two-tiered sheath of mist-gray organza embroidered and bordered in white. A short, loose, sleeveless jacket fastened only at the back of the neck, giving the effect of a three-tiered ensemble.

A cocktail dress of navy silk Repertoire that accents a long torso by way of two immense pouf flounces, swirling upward from the hem to hip. Deep decolletage at the back of the dress.

A dramatic print is used with striking simplicity: Travilla's silk twill dress with giant black pinwheels on white and the fly-away bolero jacket outlined in white silk surah. 

This is a silk chiffon dress with a black blouson top that is long-waisted and deep-cowled in the back. The skirt is a maelstrom of black and white clouds.

A black and white shimmer-sheath of silk Dupioni with a hint of Asian influence. 

Fashioned from the sheerest platinum wool, woven in small, almost invisible plaid. Five-eighths sleeves are unmounted, and the belted skirt is gently draped and pulled through the wide, low-set contoured belt.

A silk infants cocktail dress of independent blue and aqua print. Fashioned with a belted overblouse of independent blue chiffon and the new arched skirt.

Travilla's wife, actress Dona Drake, poses (left) for an upcoming charity fashion show.

Taut golden yellow jacketed silk dress of Onondaga-grained silk.

 

Three of the four sketches appear in this 1961 photo of Travilla, their wife, Dona Drake, and their 10-year-old daughter, Nia.

The sketch in Travilla's hand is labeled "Greer Garson."

Similar rendering style in these sketches means possibly for Garson herself, including the dress below sketched above.

A windblown skirt with each rolled gore permanently controlled gives this dress a swirled look, which is carried into the bodice. Made of sheer worsted wool with sheer dots of silk, it achieves a long torso look by using the reverse side of the fabric in a fitted, set-in hipline sash knotted at one side.

A deftly cut pyramid fold at the front of this silver-blue silk and wool labrador dress is one of Travilla's favorite means of introducing movement and ease in skirts for Spring. A double tab is buttoned on the center of a slightly lifted belt.

Two-toned butter-yellow Rodier sheer, the diagonal stripes masterfully used, makes an enchanting Spring costume by Travilla. The silk surah cowl collar matches the mimosa blouse beneath the jacket.

A three-piece costume of white Rodier linen-weave wool. A sleeveless vest and softly slim skirt are complemented with the three-quarter length coat that suggests a tunic influence. An open oval collar and large self-fabric buttons highlight the three-quarter-length sleeves.

A daytime costume with a scissor-cut lace embroidered jacket with deep cuffed hem worn loosely over a straight sheath.

A Viking blue crepe dress with a split bodice simulating a bolero in front designed with matching inset and new full blouson in the bodice back.