When the Sunset Plaza shopping area was developed on the Sunset Strip in the 1930s, one of the first companies to open their doors was cosmetics pioneer Elizabeth Arden. This rare color shot shows her salon as it appeared in the 1950s. The shot posted below was taken in the 1930s and shows how Arden changed and updated the store’s look.
My stepmother worked with decorator Harriet Shellenberger, whose shop/office was just up Crescent Heights from the Arden store. LaRue’s restaurant was near the corner of Crescent Hts and Sunset. It was a wonderfully chic and expensive location for all three enterprises. Harriet S’s clientele was in the class of the chic who never worried about price tags…as in, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it. LaRue’s was to dining as Harriet was to furnishings…and everyone who was anyone got their faces right in the Arden studios. Plastic? Nahhhh…pure gold!
Thanks for sharing your memories, Elizabeth. I’ve not heard of Shellenberger before but now that I have, I’ll keep an eye out for photos!