His long list of movie star clients included Greta Garbo, Mae West, Rita Hayworth, Joan Crawford, Doris Duke, Ginger Rogers, Carmen Miranda, Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, and Gloria Vanderbilt—many of whom wore his pieces on screen.

"[5] He employed several designers, including future luminaries David Webb, George W. Headley and Count Fulco di Verdura.

[1] In 1937, he opened a second store on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA, across from the popular Trocadero nightclub,[4] furthering his relationships with celebrity clientele.

[6] Paul Flato was well known for "witty and flamboyant designs"[4] and Art Deco jewelry, which since his death regularly fetches hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction, including at Sotheby's and Christie's.

Upon release in 1945, he moved to Mexico City until 1953, all the while fighting extradition to the US to face additional larceny and forgery charges involving a fortune teller who claimed he owed money to.

[2] In 1970, he moved to Mexico City for a second time, opening a jewelry store in the fashionable Zona Rosa area, which he operated in relative anonymity until 1990, when he returned to Texas.