To start off, I went to school for Fashion Marketing at Ryerson University here in Toronto and I took a whole course on Fashion Designers from many different periods. But not once did the name ‘Rose Marie Reid’ show up in my lectures (or maybe she did and I skipped that day..HA!). How I have never heard of Rose the famous swimsuit designer is beyond me, especially because she was born in Canada and designed during my favorite time in clothing.

Well whatever the reason, I’m going to fix this mistake for myself and maybe for some of my readers with this blog post today. We are going to learn a bit about Rose, see her swimsuits from the 1940s and 1950s (some that you can buy right now) and of course check out some super vintage swimsuit ads.

Rose marie Reid 1945 vintage photo of the famouse swimsuit designer

Source: Vancouver Archives 1945

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

1940s & 1950s Canadian Swimsuit Designer-Rose Marie Reid

About Rose Marie Reid:

Born Rose Marie Yancey (September 12, 1906 in Cardston, Alberta, Canada – December 16, 1978 in Provo, Utah, United States), was a Canadian-born American swimsuit designer who was extremely popular and successful in the 1940s-60s. Reid believed that every woman should feel just as glamorous in a swimsuit as she did in an evening gown, and she designed her suits accordingly.

Rose Marie Reid famous swimsuit designer in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

Reid began her swimsuit designing career in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was inspired to design swimsuits by the fact that her husband, Jack, complained about the material and comfort of his swimwear (Source).

Her design business began in 1936 with Reid’s Holiday Togs, Ltd. Lacing up both sides was typical of her earliest swimsuits and a 1938 example is preserved at the New Westminster Museum and Archives in Canada (Artifact # IH 994.76.68). In her first year of business, Reid employed 16 employees, grossed $10,000 and designed only six suits (Source).

Lacing up both sides was typical of her earliest swimsuits and a 1938 example is preserved at the New Westminster Museum and Archives in Canada

Source: Wikipedia

The 1945 “Canadian” Swim Suit by Rose Marie Reid, modeled by Yvonee De Carlo. A ‘Reid’s Holiday Togs Ltd” design. The swimsuit print features: A Totem Pole, Maple Leaf, tent, and a canoe.

Source: Pinterest

Rose Marie Reid Inc is Formed!

On September 20, 1946, Reid launched her American business, Rose Marie Reid, Inc. However, she still maintained her Canadian business. By 1946, 50% of the swimsuits sold in Canada were her designs. Her swimsuits dominated the American market and were popular in Western Europe, South America, and Australia (Source).

Rose Marie Reid swimsuit 1946 Advertisement.

Advertisement Rose Marie Reid swimsuits 1946

Source: Flickr

Here is a real life example of the swimsuit above….A STUNNING 1950s Original Rose Marie Reid of California Swimsuit with a grey/brown and pearl checkered print and a fabulous pointed bustline (Avail as of Feb 28th, 2022 HERE).

Vintage 1950s Rose Marie Reid Swimsuit • Hollywood Pinup Hourglass Bathing Suit

Source: Etsy

Innovative and fashionable swimsuit designs and production

Reid was known for innovative and fashionable swimsuit designs and production. She was the first swimsuit designer to use inner brassieres, tummy-tuck panels, stay-down legs, elastic banding, brief skirts, and foundation garments in swimwear.

She was also the first designer to introduce dress sizes in swimwear, designing swimwear for multiple sizes and types of bodies, rather than just producing one standard size. Reid filed for a U.S. Patent in 1950 for a one-piece bathing suit using elasticfabric and that lacked buttons. Her company patented a machine for a fagotting stitch that became a hallmark of her designs. She had several other patents for swimsuits and accessories.

1950s Rose Marie Reid Swimsuit Patent Diagram

Source: Free Patent Online

Among her designs, was the “Hourglass” suit, introduced in 1951 which was produced in many variations. It went on to become one of her company’s all-time best sellers. Her “Magic Length” swimsuit line featured an inner “miracle bra,” tuck-away straps, a tummy control panel, stay-down leg, and elasticized back to keep the bodice from gapping. With its numerous adaptations for different body types, the “Magic Length” became a Rose Marie Reid classic and remained popular through the 1950s.

Rose Marie Reid 1950s Vintage swimsuit ad for Magic Length Swimsuit

Source: Pinterest

This photo shows a “Shirred Panel Classic” Rose Marie Reid swimsuit from 1951 in the Cherry Cordial color owned by the Harold B. Lee Library of Brigham Young University.

Source: Wikipedia

Reid had sales offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, New York City, London, Amsterdam, and Paris. Her success led her to travel frequently meeting with sales people to provide instruction on fabrics, styles, and designs. She was the first woman in the United States to fly 500,000 miles.

Rose Marie Reid Famous Swimsuit Designer in 1950s Clothes is met by an airplane

Source: https://exhibits.lib.byu.edu/rose-marie-reid

Reid left her company in 1963 over disagreements over the design and production of bikinis. She died on December 16, 1978 in her daughter Carole’s home in Provo, Utah.

Awards and Success

In 1958, Reid was awarded the Sporting Look of the Year Award by Sports Illustrated and in 1955 she was named one of the Ten Women of the Year by the Los Angeles Times. While she didn’t win, she was also nominated for Designer of the Year in 1956 by Sports Illustrated. Her company was extremely successful in the 1950s. The 1951 gross of Rose Marie Reid, Inc. of $3.5 million increased nearly fivefold to $18.1 million by 1960. Combined, her Canadian and U.S. factories increased production between 1952 and 1959 from 1,000 to 10,000 suits per day(Source).

Hollywood Fame

Part of Reid’s success was due to her influence in Hollywood and the motion picture industry. Famous screen actresses, including Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, and Rhonda Fleming wore her swimsuits. Rita Hayworth famously wore the “Glittering Metallic Lamé” suit to publicize her 1946 hit film, Gilda. Her suits also appeared in several California beach party films from the late 1950s and the early 1960s, including Gidget, Muscle Beach Party, and Where the Boys Are (Source).

This photo shows a “Glittering Metallic Lamé” Rose Marie Reid swimsuit from 1946 owned by the Harold B. Lee Library of Brigham Young University.

Source: Wikipedia

Rita Hayworth wearing the "Glittering Metallic Lamé" Rose Marie Reid swimsuit from 1946

“Gidget” (1959). Sandra Dee in a Rose Marie Reid Swimsuit with James Darren.

Gidget" (1959) Sandra Dee with James Darren in Rose Marie Reid Swimsuit

Source: Pinterest

Fun Fact!

Occasionally Rose Marie worked from preliminary design sketches, but most of her work was done on live models, as shown in this 1956 photograph taken at her Century Boulevard factory in Los Angeles (Source).

rose-marie-reid-swimsuit-designer-working-with-a-model-in-the-1950s-vintage-photo

Source: https://exhibits.lib.byu.edu/

Rose Marie also insisted on testing all pre-production swimsuits in both fresh and salt water: “I cut and drape on the model and I work with the model in motion, in the water and out of the water. The suit might look gorgeous in a drawing, or on a model who is just standing by the pool, but I want suits to be functional garments for swimming in as well as to be pretty.” (Source)

Vintage Advertising Examples

1953 Rose Marie Reid jewels of the sea women’s blue swimsuit ad.

Source: eBay

1955 Rose Marie Reid RMR Junior Swimsuits 3 Styles, photo vintage print Ad.

Source: eBay

1958 Rose Marie Reid jewels of the sea bathing suit vintage ad.

1958 Rose Marie Reid jewels of the sea bathing suit swimsuit

Source: eBay

1956 Rose Marie Reid jewels of sea pink checked swimsuit umbrella ad. The vintage ad talks about the “technology” that makes RMR swimsuits stand out. Love it!

Source: eBay

May 6th, 1956 vintage ad featuring a Rose Marie Reid Swimsuit paired with a cute swimming cap! Love the bracelets as well.

1950s vintage fashion ad for Rose Marie Reid Swimsuits featuring an illustration of a woman in a bathing cap, swimsuit and bracelets.

Source: The Michigan Daily Digital Archives

Here’s precisely how to keep a swim-date in good humour! Wear a RMR swimsuit! 1959 women’s Rose Marie Reid juniors plaid swimsuit bathing suit ad.

Source: eBay

Real Life Examples of Rose Marie Swimsuits

Note: See my updated monthly collection of Rose Marie Vintage Swimsuits available to purchase on ETSY HERE.

1950s Rose Marie Reid blue floral maillot swimsuit (Avail as of March 2023 HERE).

1950s Vintage Swimsuit: 1950s Rose Marie Reid blue floral maillot swimsuit

Source: Etsy

1960s Rose Marie Reid Limited Edition Black Lace Swimsuit / Playsuit.

Source: Etsy

Vintage 1950s Rose Marie Reid Swimsuit // Navy White Atomic Starburst Bathing Suit.

Source: Etsy

1950s Rose Marie Reid ‘Jewels of the Sea’ Swimsuit featuring the matching vintage ad! LOVE THIS!

Source: Etsy

1950s Rose Marie Reid Blue One Piece Pinup Bombshell Swimsuit.

Source: Etsy

1950s “Hourglass Maillot” Purple One-Piece Swimsuit by Rose Marie Reid with Bubble Style Bottom, Structured Bullet Shaped Top.

Source: Etsy

Vintage 1950s Rose Marie Reid Pastel Striped Modesty Panel One Piece Bathing Suit. So cute!

Vintage 1950s Swimsuit | 50s ROSE MARIE REID Pastel Striped Modesty Panel One Piece Bathing Suit

Source: Etsy

Vintage 1950s Bright Multi Color One Piece Rose Marie Reid Swimsuit. Avail as of March 2023 HERE.

Vintage 1950s Rose Marie Reid Swimsuit // FUN Bright Multi Color One Piece Bathing Suit Small

Source: Etsy

Hope you enjoyed this post about Rose! I loved learning all about this famous swimsuit designer and now I know what I want to add to my vintage collection.

Question time! Do you own a Rose Marie Reid? Or would you of worn a RMR? Share in the comment section below!

Further Reading:

Vintage Fashion 1920s-1960s (Archived Blog Posts)

Liz

I was recently gifted with a large amount of vintage magazines from ‘Better Homes & Gardens’, ‘Chatelaine’, ‘McCall’s’, ‘American Home’ and more. They are all from the 1930s to the 1950s (majority are late 1930s) and at some point they will all be shared on my blog. Yay for you!

For today’s vintage magazine browse, we are going to open up a ‘McCall’s Magazine from April 1943.

McCall's April 1943 Vintage Magazine cover featuring a mother and her daughter in matching 1940s outfits watching the plants grow

Let’s see what what was inside….

Table of contents for the McCalls Vintage Magazine from April 1943

First up, a brief history of McCall’s Magazine:

McCall’s was a monthly American women’s magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-format magazine called The Queen in 1873 (source).

Vintage Magazine Cover for McCalls April 1911 magazine

Your very first vintage ad is from Cannon Towels, featuring a young woman talking about her beauty routine after a war-weary day.

At the botton of the ad, it talks about how their towels are going to the Armed Forces and that it is why you favorite store may not have as wide of a selection. “Naturally, you won’t buy any towels unless it’s absolutely necessary”. OF COURSE!

1940s vintage ad for Cannon Towels in a McCall's Apirl 1943 magazine. Image features a woman washing and helping the war effort.

The Washington Bureau added its own “Guide to Daily Living” article that was meant to help you with any questions you may have about the home front or the war.

For example:

Rags & Nylons (bottom left)

Your rag bag is one of the stockpiles of material for wiping cloths for the machinery of the Army and Navy war industry. So save the rags you don’t need. If there’s no rag dealer in your town, your local salvage committe can tell you when and where to take them. And remember that the last of your silk and nylon stockings are as precious to the war effort as they are to you. When they’re worn out, wash them and turn them in.

McCall's April 1943 Vintage Magazine Wartime edition featuring an insert on news from Washington on how to help during WW2

Easter is upon us and so the magazine is filled with lots of vintage Easter meal ideas, like a “Half a Star Ham for Easter that makes 5 wonderful meals” from Armour and Company.

Easter Ham and Hot Stuffed Eggs
Sliced Ham and Spring Salad
Ham and Sweetbread Pastry Shells
Ham Patties
Ham Split-Pea Soup (YUM! I love soup!)

1940s Vintage Easter Meal Idea Vintage Ad from Armour and Company from a McCall's Vintage Magazine April 1943.

The first 2 page spread is called ‘It’s An Old American Custom….” and talks about how neighours are solving war problems right in their own backyards. Problems like food rationing, transportation, labor, child care and housing.

1940s vintage article from a McCalls April 1943 magazine. 2 page spread is called 'It's An Old American Custom...." and talks about how neighours are solving war problems right in their own backyards.

The magazine also features several stories about love, heartbreak, romance, struggles and more. This story is called “The Girl Who Wouldn’t Talk” and it’s about a man who strikes up a romance with the office clerk (“The pretty girl with her brillant smile and her silky pale pompadour and her trim dark suit“).

1940s vintage illustration of a young woman in 1940s fashions talking to a man as seen in a story in McCalls Magazine April 1943.

Vintage Advertisement for Woodbury Color Controlled Powder, featuring Lucille Ball who is appearing in ‘Du Barry was a Lady’ on the big screen.

1940s Vintage Advertisement for 'Woodbury Color Controlled Powder' featuring Lucille Ball who is appearing in 'Du Barry was a Lady' on the big screen.

“Which woman’s on her way to being hated?”. An article about the right and wrong ways to help the war effort while at home. AKA don’t be trying to outsmart the food rationing rules…HELEN!

1940s Vintage Article about the right and wrong ways to help the war effort on the homefront.

“She’s Engaged! She’s Lovely! She Uses Ponds”. 1943 vintage ad for Ponds cold cream featuring the lovely Martha Montgomery.

Martha is an adorably sweet and popular daughter of Mr. And Mrs. William Robert Montgomery and she is engaged to Lieutenant Herbert Slatery, Jr. The ad goes on to talk about her beauty routine, her ring and her wartime job (taking care of small children).

1940s Vitnage ad for Ponds Cream featuring a pretty 1940s Woman as seen in a McCall's April 1943 Vintage Magazine

Flexi-Menu: “Describes the kind of menus we’ll all have to learn to plan if we want to keep our good health and our even dispositions during these day of shortages and ration stamps.”

Featuring meals like:

Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie
Versatile Main Dish Loaf
Fruit-Crowned Spanish Cream

1943 vintage food menu from McCall's April 1943 magazine

Heinz 57 vintage ad: “Short Cuts to Good Eating to Save time and Money!”

“Added to the wartime woman’s vital task of providing adequate nourishment for her family are her patriotic activities and new factory jobs! These recipes and suggestions are specially designed to save her many precious minutes and pennies”.

1940s vintage ad for Heniz 57 featuring many different recipes and food ideas for the hardworking woman on the homefront.

“Good meals lift the spirits as well as protect health! These attractive and energy-giving dishes, enriched with the 57 varieties, are lifesavers for today’s active homemakers because they cost little in time, money and effort!”

Here are some food ideas from Heinz:

Broiled Grapefruit
Mayonnaise Egg Sauce for Cooked Green Vegetables
Poached Eggs in Cream
Bake Lamb Casserole

As mentioned before, April is Easter Month and everyone always needs another good Ham recipe for Easter dinner especially if it’s from Swift’s!

Here is your Easter Menu:

Shrimp & Cucumber Salad
Easter Ham with Fruit Dressing
Parsley Potatoes
Asparagus
Hot Rolls
Rhubarb Pie

1940 vintage ad for an Easter Menu from a McCall's April 1943 Vintage Magazine.

A Kitchen and Dining Room remodel when you just don’t have the materials you need…right now (war bonds will help them with future purchases later).

1940s vintage dining room remodel as seen in a vintage McCall's magazine April 1943

1940s vintage Kitchen remodel as seen in a vintage McCall's magazine April 1943

A Party is a State of Mind….Sometimes you’ll have others there. Sometimes it’s just a home affair! But Jell-0 will supply you with all the fun dessert recipes in this vintage ad for whatever party your hosting.

1940s vintage ad for Jello desserts for your next party or for staying home.

McCall’s Style and Beauty section.

1940s fashion as seen in a McCall's 1940s vintage magazine featuring a young woman and soldier together in the photo

“Little Girl on a Big Plane”

You’ll like this girl. She does a man’s work in the ground crew, servicing airplanes, but she hasn’t lost any of her feminine sweetness and charm.

Meet Phyllis Anderson, whose dream was NOT to work in a store selling things. She wanted to do something around planes. She is now working as the ground crew for Northeast Airlines U.S. Army Army Air Transport Command and she LOVES IT!

Ground crew by day, stuffed puppy lover by night.

1943 Spring Dresses are Soft and Feminie this year! Why? “Well since the time of the crusades, whenever there has been a war, there has always been a definite trend toward feminine, ladylike clothes that form a vivid but restful contrast to masculine uniforms and utilitarian work clothes”.

1940s vintage fashion-Women's spring dresses in 1943 are soft and feminine as seen in a McCall's 1943 April Vintage Magazine.

What to wear this Spring? The Printed Dress Comes First” as seen in these pretty 1940s fashion illustrations.

1943 womens fashion-the Printed Dress women's 1940s Fashion Illustration

Plenty of Pleats is all the rage for women’s fashion in 1943! Along with square lines at the shoulders and the use of Shantung a fine fabric seen on the green dress on the right.

1940s Womens Fashion Illustration featuring 1943 fashion-Pleats on women's dresses

This is a Spring Wardrobe. The aqua dress is for those who don’t like to wear the traditional Shirtwaist Dress. The middle dress is a softer version of the suit-dress and the navy on the right has lingerie touches. All so pretty!

1940s Womens Fashion as see in 1943 featuring women's fashion illustration for 3 dresses.

1943 College fashions for the young women with big goals in mind.

1940s Fashion Illustration of young womens college fashions 1943

The Look of Spring. Beautiful 1940s women’s 2 piece suits. The Seersucker Suit, The Semi-Fitted Suit and the Boxy Shortie. Love the Seersucker!

1940s Spring Fashion look-Womens Coats fashion illustration.

The last ad on the back of the magazine is for Ivory soap and features 3 women. The WAAC Officer, the Homemaker and the Hat Designer all who have different skincare needs.

1940s vintage ad on the back of the magazine is for Ivory soap and features 3 women in 1940s fashions

I hope you enjoyed taking a look into my McCall’s 1943 magazine. I especially enjoyed this one because it was a time of war and I find it very interesting to see how the ads and the articles were focused on the real issues of the time.

Stay tuned for many more blog posts like this in the future.

Liz