He worked up until several weeks before his death at 95, and at the
time was building a new home in Majorca.
His two cats, Caramelle and Talia, sat by his side while he
worked.
Designed sets and costumes for stage shows, including productions for Ziegfeld Follies and Greenwich Village Follies, from the 1920's onward.
Had a tempestuous working relationship with Lillian Gish while he was designing for her film La Bohème (1926) and ultimately left the film industry after only briefly establishing himself as a Hollywood costume designer.
A 1967 exhibition of his work was bought - in toto - by the
Metropolitan Museum of art... the first time the museum had bought an
entire exhibit.