HOWARD GREER

 (1886 - 1974) Howard Greer got his start as a sketch artist for Lucile, Ltd. in 1916. He served in World War I on the front line in Europe, staying in Paris afterward and working for Lucile, Molyneux and Poiret. Greer returned to New York in 1921, and became a costume designer for Famous Players Lasky, the forerunner of Paramount. He designed primarily modern dress films with glamorous wardrobes for the star, no matter what her social standing.  Greer's contract ran until 1927, when he left Paramount, to work in custom clothing and leave the black and white constraints of film.

Greer opened Greer, Inc. in Los Angeles late in 1928 with a legendary star packed opening. He was the first major costume designer to take the leap of establishing his own couture house. He started with custom design, then added ready to wear along side it by 1947. After that, his clothing was sold around the country and he was in the top tier of American ready-to-wear designers . Greer specialized in cocktail and dinner dresses that he specifically designed to look good seated at a table with stunning necklines. His clientele continued to include film actresses, but he added society women and their daughters as the quality of his salon's workmanship became apparent. Howard Greer continued to supply film costumes for studios without in house designers well into the 1950s.   

Greer's look, while varied, tended toward the expensive afternoon and evening clothes of the fitted torso type with eye-catching effects. In many ways, he remained true to his training as a costume designer. He didn't follow the padded shoulder line of the 40s, and liked to work with black combined with a range of pinks for contrast. Greer's 1951 autobiography was Designing Male. He retired in 1962. 

from a 1940s dress
Courtesy of denisebrain

from a late 1940s suit
Courtesy of denisebrain

from a late 1940s dress
Courtesy of the way we wore

from a late 1950s/early 1960s evening coat
Courtesy of claire shaeffer

from a late 1950s/early 1960s evening coat
Courtesy of claire shaeffer