Rose Marie Reid

For quite a while now I have been looking for a Rose Marie Reid vintage swimsuit but they have always been cost prohibitive. Well today my wish has come true and I finally have one in my possession. It arrived today from the States. It came with this cute little beach jacket too.

I have just started reading her biography written by her daughter. It is quite slow reading at the moment as the beginning has introduced lots of characters and lots of history about the Mormon religion which takes some concentration! She sounds like an amazing woman who initially went in to the swimsuit business in 1937 when she couldn't find a suit that met her needs. The suits she made were sculpted like the evening dresses of the time with draping, tucks, pleats and shirring and she made a huge contribution to the glamour swimwear market in the 1950s. Her swimsuits were among the best selling in America and outsold many of her rivals (who would often copy her designs!). Marilyn Monroe publicly thanked Rose Marie Reid for the contribution her swimsuits had made to her career! Reid genuinely cared about women feeling good in her swimsuits and her sales assistants were trained to help women select the right suits for their body shape. The quality of this one swimsuit of hers I have is exceptionally good. The fabric is nice and thick and the lining has extra touches to make it more comfortable. I am looking forward to reading more about her.