Western Costume Gets New Owner

Western Costume Co., a Hollywood institution that has supplied costumes to movie makers for 80 years, has been sold by Gulf & Western’s Paramount Pictures Corp. to a California holding company, Paramount officials said Tuesday.

AHS Trinity bought the historic costume business for an undisclosed amount, said Paul Lestz, president of Paramount’s Studio Group.

The sale, effective March 1, includes the 1.5 million costume pieces collected during the company’s 80-year history, but does not include the several buildings that housed the huge collection.

The buildings, adjacent to Paramount studios, will be used by the movie company for various purposes, Lestz said.

The new owners will move the collection to another location, hopefully in the Hollywood area, said Paul Abramowitz, president of AHS Trinity Group.

Paramount, which bought Western Costume last April to acquire the real estate, has been searching for a buyer of the costume operation since then, Lestz said.

The movie company, concerned about the historic value of the collection, held out for buyers who were committed to maintaining its integrity, he said.