Seller Story: Jef Billings, Los Angeles, CA

“Jef loved theater. He was originally going to be a set designer, and then became a costume designer on someone else’s recommendation. When he came to California from back east, he became Bob Mackie’s assistant at Elizabeth Courtney Costumes. Jef was also a designer in his own right, and Bob recognized that. If there was something Bob couldn’t get to, Jef would do it. That was the case with Peggy Fleming; she may have been the first ice skater that he designed for. And then Dorothy Hamill, and he went from there. Somewhere in there, he started designing for Scott Hamilton, who started the show Stars on Ice.

Jef was able to take his knowledge of theater and the knowledge of couture that he learned from working at Elizabeth Courtney and marry the two; he was able to create theatrical, couture sportswear that you could skate in. He became the director of Stars on Iceabout ten years ago; he would design it, direct it, find the music. Kind of create the whole thing] He also did some television shows, but he always seemed to come back to skating. There’s a picture of Barbara Eden and a sketch to go with it, from 1985— after the I Dream of Genie show was over, when they did a TV movie. He did the costumes, and that was the first time she was finally able to show her belly button!

I was his assistant for probably about 25 years. When we worked it was always intense and crazy; he worked out of his home so I was a part of his life as well. He would give me the music and the ideas, and we would sit and listen and talk, and then he would kind of tell me what he wanted. After seeing the sketches I would go out and try to find the fabric, and then get it to the tailor, the dressmaker, the beader.” —Regina Winters

What are some of your favorite pieces and stories from Jeff’s Hollywood years?

He made several things for Debbie Reynolds; she wore a red beaded dress with a jacket of his to the Oscars. Over the years he had some different things signed by her. He made Kathy Bates’s dress from the year she won her Oscar. There’s a blue jacket in the sale that says “Burnett’s Bums.” He worked on The Carol Burnett Show with Bob Mackie and that was a crew jacket Carol had made for its last season. There are also two sketches in one frame, with fabric samples, for one of Carol Burnett’s characters, Eunice.

So people won Oscars in his dresses—what about Olympic medals?

He made Sarah Hughes’ dress for the 2002 Olympics, the one she wore when she won gold! There’s a little Olympics section in the auction, some hats and the opening and closing ceremony catalogues and the little lantern that they all carried.

Do you have a favorite skating costume in the collection?

The beaded stuff is always so beautiful, but then there’s a lot of just quirky stuff that’s so much fun! Scott Hamilton had a number that he did from Hair where he started out full-on wig, fringed, suede jacket, pinstripe pants flared with a tie-dye inset. And by the end of the number, he was in a pinstripe vest with a tie and no bell-bottoms. The costume actually changed while he skated. Scott had light-up pants, he had suits that turned inside out; his costumes always did tricks.

Scott actually says that Jeff helped make his career. In the beginning, Scott was a skater, but he became an entertainer. And for my own accolade, his skates always looked like boots or tennis shoes or ballet shoes—I made all of that. I made the piece that the tailor and the dressmaker didn’t make!