Howard Greer started as a costume designer on Broadway and was one of the first to be appointed head of wardrobe at a major Hollywood studio. He worked on Greenwich Village Follies (1922) and Jack and Jill (1923) before moving to Hollywood to do set designs for Paramount Pictures. There he was responsible for such movies as Bringing Up Baby (1938).

Greer left his post at Paramount and opened his own couture operation in Hollywood in December 1927, where he designed custom clothing for the stars until his retirement in 1962. He also continued to create costumes for films into the 1950s, and designed mass-market clothing.

Greer published an autobiography, Designing Male, in 1951.