Liberace’s designer dies at 86

Michael Travis, the Oscars’ one-time costume designer, has died, aged 86. The fashion icon, who also created Liberace’s stage outfits, passed away at his home in Los Angeles on Thursday (01May14).
Travis served as the Academy Awards’ go-to wardrobe expert for six years from 1960. He also designed costumes worn on cult 1960s U.S. comedy show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, as well as outfits for Dionne Warwick, The Supremes, Wayne Newton and The Temptations.
But he will perhaps be best known for his 16-year stint as Liberace’s costume designer, which began in 1969.
The Detroit, Michigan native started his career creating costumes for Broadway productions.
Travis received a Primetime Emmy nomination in 1967 for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design, and he picked up a Costume Designers Guild Career Achievement Award in 2010.