Don Loper was a dancer and fashion designer who became one of Carole's closest friends
He was born Lincoln George Hardloper on April 29, 1907 in Toledo, Ohio. His father, Charles Hardloper, owned a clothing store. Don began making clothes when he was a young child. At the age of eighteen he married Violet Hughes. They divorced soon after because he was gay. He began his career as a ballroom dancer. Don and his longtime dance partner Maxine Barrett appeared in the Broadway shows One For The Money and Very Warm For May. Then he went to Hollywood where he worked as a choreographer and set designer. He was a featured dancer in the the films Thousands Cheer and Dancer In The Dark with Ginger Rogers. Carole met him when he choreographed the musical numbers in Four Jills In A Jeep. They became close friends and she hired him to decorate her apartment. She was also a frequent visitor to The Don Loper Salon, his couture clothing boutique on Sunset Boulevard. In 1947 he was the costume supervisor for Carole's comedy Out Of The Blue.
Don began a long term romance with Charles Cross Northrup who helped run his business. He created glamorous fashions for Lana Turner, Marlene Dietrich, and Audrey Hepburn. His philosophy was "a woman should dress to look pretty and dress especially for the man in her life". During the 1950s he launched "Designed By Don Loper" a ready to wear line. It became very successful with sales of more than $25 million. Don also worked as an interior decorator. He designed the famous green palm wallpaper for the Beverly Hills hotel. In 1955 he played himself on a memorable episode of I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball. Don made headlines in 1962 when he was arrested for felony hit and run driving. Sadly on November 21, 1972 he died when his lung was punctured during a tracheostomy. He was sixty-five years old. Don was buried at East Hillside Cemetery in Glen Head, New York.
