What just appeared in my inbox but these photos of the chinoiserie awnings of Adrian's dress shop made by Adrian himself!
A big thank you to Hutton Wilkinson who first told me about the awnings. He was kind enough to send us these photos after our conversation about Adrian's monkey house....
the roof of which is alive and well in Santa Barbara, and definitely looks like it's also by Adrian's own hand.The shop was located at 15 Olvera Street in Los Angeles, which now stocks burritos instead of bolero jackets.
Below is an excerpt from a 1931 article in which journalist Harriet Parsons trailed the ever elusive Greta Garbo for a day, which included a stop to her favorite dressmaker....
"Garbo and Feyder slip through a side door into Adrian's Shop, next door. Adrian is the costume designer at M-G-M and I begin to feel scared – scared that my prey will slip away from me through some underground passage sacred to ladies of mystery."But I go around in front of the shop and paste my nose against the glass of the door. Inside I see Garbo going from one object to another in the small shop, animatedly. She is gay and interested. Suddenly she spies a huge, fantastic monkey with a body of white fur and a comic red corduroy face. She stands delightedly while Adrian shows her how the arms and legs move. She is as pleased as a child.
"Meantime, a crowd has collected outside the patio. With that genius peculiar to crowds, they have sensed a celebrity near-by – their greatest celebrity. But Garbo lingers in the shop until they have all gone except me. It is eleven when suddenly, much to my relief, Adrian, Garbo and Feyder come out and stroll up and down the street. Adrian is showing her the sights of the minature village."
Click here to read more from www.garboforever.com
P.S. Did you know that Hutton has a new book coming out on Tony Duquette this fall?! I just found out and have already pre-ordered my copy here. "More is More" is right.
