Label
LANZ
Late 1940s
Donated by Lisa Landworth
The Miracle Mile was a shopper’s paradise and home to Wilshire Boulevard’s Lanz dress shop. A seemingly simple cursive sign is made all the more complicated by a double-looping "L" and dual-tube illumination. Originally protected by a plastic face, the museum has chosen to reveal the sign’s internal twists and turns.
In 1937, designer Werner G. Scharff and his brother moved to New York as political refugees where he met Sepp Lanz, a retailer of Austrian inspired clothing and sleepwear. Scharff recognized the demand for their designs on the west coast, and a year later moved to California to open the Wilshire Boulevard boutique. Although the move was a risky venture, the brand’s reputation grew drastically after Hedy Lamarr wore Lanz designs in Ziegfeld Girl. Lanz enjoyed its newfound fame among Hollywood socialites, but the company made fashion history in 1953 with the release of their signature “granny” nightgown.