When Frederick Mellinger started his mail order company for lingerie in the forties, it is unlikely he imagined that fifty years later, his company would own over two hundred stores throughout the United States of America, as well as distributing fifty million and over mail order catalogues per annum.
In the late forties, when good American girls wore white cotton "panties," Frederick Mellinger caused a commotion with his sexy, black panties, bras, and nightgowns. During his stretch as a GI during World War II, Mellinger had done far-reaching research, questioning soldiers about their dream woman and her lingerie. By the time he left the army and went into business, Frederick had decided on his winning formula:
"The company designs each undergarment, whether it is a baby-doll nightgown or push-up bra, to make a woman more alluring to a man and more attractive to herself when she looks in the mirror."
A year later, Mellinger had moved and renamed his company "Frederick's of Hollywood". His sexy lingerie was an instant smash with Hollywood's film stars, complementing as it did, with the glamorous image of the Hollywood lifestyle at the time.
Mellinger owed his achievements to understanding women, and fashion. Film costume designers inspired his "Hollywood Profile" of the 1950s, and fashion-conscious women sought out his pointed, circle-stitched bras, sold under brand names such as Missiles and Snow Cones.
Mellinger had a flair for publicity-"All women are not created equal," said Mellinger, and "No matter how beautiful the outer garment, without the right foundation, the look will be wrong."
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