The House of Westmore Salon, 6638 Sunset Strip.
glamour mecca
The House of Westmore Salon was the most well-known beauty salon in the world. It's state-of-the-art equipment, opulent décor, and movie stars galore, made it a top tourist destination. What the public didn't know is that many stars never walked through the front door. They slipped through a back entrance, taken to a hidden room, and the metamorphosis could begin without anyone knowing they were there.
Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons had desks at the Westmores Salon and would report on all of the day's glamour and gossip, for the Westmores, it was non-stop publicity.
Newspaper clipping, Gala Opening, April 16,1935.
1935 House of westmore Gala Opening
The newspapers described the House of Westmore Salon opening as "Supergiganticcolossal". It was a lavish event where according to one newspaper, "Kay Francis, a reigning queen of the silver screen, turned a golden key which opened this magnificent salon of beauty. Joan Blondell threw the golden switch which flooded the interior of the salon with light, and everyone stood dazzled and dumbfounded by the spectacle that met their eyes. Claudette Colbert, gowned in gold, pressed a gold button to light the interior. "
From left to right: Kay Francis, Perc Westmore, Una Merkel, and Claudette Cobert. Westmore Salon opening, April 1935.
oh my stars!
The Westmores' had many glamorous stars appear in advertising for their cosmetics. This was a way to reach' out to the everyday woman and bring her closer to the movies and stars than she had ever been before. Cosmetics were still fairly new in the marketplace in the 1930s. These "looks" that the Westmores' had created for the movie stars set the trends for women around the world. Through magazine and newspaper articles, they were able to reinforce their make-up application techniques based on the Seven Basic Face Shapes. If you applied Westmore Cosmetics, you too, could look like a star.
House of Westmore Cosmetics 1935-1939
House of Westmore Cosmetics 1940-1949
House of Westmore Cosmetics 1950-1959
House of Westmore Cosmetics 1960-1969
