Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Lapin Bros. School of Beauty

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19 comments:

  1. "Lapin" means "Rabbit hair" in French. Would emerge with Eiffel Tower coifs? Baguettes?

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  2. If their so 'world famous' how'd they end up in Reseda?

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  3. I think I can answer Mr. Felix's question since the dude in the middle was my father, Sam Lapin. The Lapin Bros. started their careers in the mid-30s and, after the war, opened a relatively famous salon on Sunset Boulevard across from Hollywood High School. At the time of this advert, they had three salons, including a ultra-luxurious one at 8814 Sunset on the Strip (half a block from the Whiskey). They also had started a chain of beauty schools that grew to eight by the mid-60s, including their first in, oh yes, beautiful, glamorous Reseda, California. They also had a fairly prominent line of product, especially dyes, fillers and conditioners, many of which they pioneered, including the first one-process color in 1948-49! One of my old man's claims to fame was that he was the one who first bleached Marilyn Monroe's hair platinum blonde.

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    Replies
    1. Yes..and you must be none other than Kim Lapin...??Nes Pa~~?

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    2. No, the late Kim Lapin was Irving "Itsey" Lapin's son. Brad and Nancy were Sam's kids.

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    3. As a point of interest, I married Laurel Lapin, Irving "Itsy" Lapin's daughter. We were divorced in 1982 but are still good friends and both of us are happily remarried. We have an adult daughter who is pursuing a career in cosmetology.

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    4. Sam Lapin was a color genius. I was fortunate enough to study under him in the 1980"s and he changed my professional life. I will never forget him and his cigarette stained fingers and send him all the love and kudos in the world! Carol Haymaker

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    5. Sam Lapin was a hair color genius. I was fortunate enough to study under him in the 1980's and he changed my professional career. Love and kudos to you Sam, wherever you are in this universe, you were a Rock Star in the Industry! I will never forget his cigarette stained fingers and the joy of being one of his students.

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    6. Dear Unknown - I just spoke to my ex wife, Itsy Lapin's daughter and read her this post. Her reply was that Itsy never smoked and she did think Sam did either BUT both of them had stained fingers all the time from hair color.

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    7. I went to Lapin Bros in Reseda in or around 1964!!! Yeah I am really old, I learned so much, didn't finish the course due to my family moving abroad, will never forget my time there.

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  4. @Mistermee: Thanks so much for the fascinating background on your family!

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  5. Don't you have a great old photo of Lapin brothers in reseda califorina? I would love to see it.
    Have many fond memories getting my hair done and going to the reseda walk-in show felt so great as a kid of 11 and big to do that. came out with some cool hair doos.

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  6. @Mistermee My sister graduated from Lapin Brothers in Hollwood in the late 1960s. While she was attending there, I went to get my hair done (part of her practice) and there was someone (upstairs I think) casting for a hairstyle show that would be held on another day. They asked me if I could be one of the models and I signed up and participated in it. There were a number of people viewing us as we walked, modeling the hairstyles. It was photographed and I was told it would be in a magazine (maybe HairDo?) Do you recall this or know anyone who might recall this? Maybe it was a common thing done there, but I would love to find the magazine or see the photos. It was my first experience with modeling.

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  7. Hi I am looking for Michael Schwartz who went to Lapin Brothers in 1963. I am looking for him. Does anyone know where he is today?

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  8. I had the pleasure of knowing and working with Sam lapin in the late 70s early 80s add redken laboratories. The old Van nuys facility. Redken had acquired Lapinal hair color. And he was helping us to test and develop lapin doll turning it into Amino colors. It was a time during the reformulation to replace paraphenylenediamine thought to be a carcinogen. I worked in the hair research division and in the product evaluation test salon. He was a great guy. A humble man and an innovator. It was an honor to know him and learn from him.

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  9. I had the pleasure of working with Sam lapin in the late 70s early 80s at Redken laboratories. The old Van nuys facility. Redken had acquired the laupinal hair color line and Sam was helping us to develop it into what would become Amino Colors. It was during a Time in history when all manufacturers we're reformulating to remove and replace paraphenylenediamine. Which was thought to be a carcinogen. I worked in the hair research division and also the product evaluation test salon. It was a pleasure knowing and working with such a generous humble brilliant innovator.

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  10. Hello everyone, I went to Lapin Bros. School of Beauty in 1966-1967, Yeah, I know, I'm old. This Lapin Bros. School was located in Simi Valley, CA. Please, people....stop laughing. One of my teachers was Mr. Reyes. Then I had the women who went by "Miss this" and "Miss that" I really want to remember the name of the women who helped me through the course. All I have is my description of her. Tall, large, but not fat, black hair, good sense of humor. Help me if you can

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