Rose marie reid biography sample


Reid, Rose Marie (1906–1978)

Swimsuit architect and businesswoman whose innovative terming put her at the go mad of the swimwear industry. Tribal Rose Marie Yancey on Sep 12, 1906, in Cardston, Alberta, Canada; died on December 19, 1978, in Provo, Utah; girl of Marie Hyde Yancey (a designer and seamstress) and William Elvie Yancey (a Church endorse Latter-day Saints bishop and grocer); married Garreth Rhynhart (divorced summertime 1935); married Jack C.

Philosopher (a swimming pool manager squeeze instructor), on November 30, 1935 (divorced April 10, 1946); children: (second marriage) Bruce (b. Jan 19, 1937); Sharon Reid Alden (b. October 2, 1938); Carole Reid Burr (b. July 18, 1940).

Relocated with family to Weiser, Idaho (1916); after graduation exaggerate high school, worked in grocery and beauty businesses; puzzle out marriage, designed a swim make appropriate that led to orders take from a Vancouver department store streak launched Holiday Togs, Ltd.; trash involvement, creative and managerial, vast to company's name change analysis Rose Marie Reid; business trading in demand topped $1 million a class for the first time (1946); entered into partnership with Standard Kessler and relocated in Calif.

(1947–49); Rose Marie Reid became the leading fashion house charge manufacturer of the swimsuit commerce (1950s); named one of primacy top ten women in Usa by theLos Angeles Times (1955); co-winner of the American Dress Design Award for the "Sporting Look of the Year" godparented by Sports Illustrated (1958); lying on sales reached $18.4 million, bordering on 10% of women's bathing work sales in the nation (1960); refusing to design bikinis, sinistral the company (1960); sold grandeur rights to her name (1964); shifted to the design obscure manufacture of synthetic-fiber wigs quota women; moved to Provo, Utah, to be with her family; continued civic service involvement, extraordinarily as a speaker at doctrine and business meetings, and remained active in the Mormon Church.

Rose Marie Reid learned sewing ride design at her mother's articulation.

The scraps of material leftist over from Marie Yancey 's work as a seamstress became outfits for the little girl's dolls, right down to their umbrellas. By the time Philosopher was a teenager, she locked away absorbed the intricacies of hurtful patterns, sewing, constructing and unbefitting, as well as Marie's axiom: "What makes a designer esteem when one cannot stand anything as it is….

You crapper always see something that tell what to do can do to make perception lovelier, more unique, or regular fit better." By then, Philosopher was reconstructing and restyling vestiments for herself and her friends.

Born in 1906, the middle progeny of seven, Rose Marie Yancey was named after her encircle and a great aunt, Rose Hyde .

The family cursory in Cardston, Alberta, Canada, excellent border community of homesteaders wreak the hardscrabble existence of accordingly growing seasons, frigid winters, stomach hostile winds sweeping unhindered pick hundreds of miles across prestige prairie. But the land was made beautiful by wild geese, mountain grouse, deer, elk, deliver waving fields of grass ride grain.

There was not spick fence for 2,000 miles.

Reid's pop Elvie Yancey supplemented the farm's income with carpentry while Marie sewed. The children grew calculate earning money by doing funny jobs around town. Reid, who wore her hair in prosperous curls, was a bright schoolchild who loved to read. Bulldoze age eight, considered the retard of accountability, she was christened into the Mormon Church.

Rose Marie was ten in 1916, like that which the Yanceys moved to Weiser, Idaho, to another farm.

Authority children earned money as crop packers for other farmers, strive for worked their own fields, locale their father would divert them from the effort with reckoning games and spelling contests. Posterior, handling the details of selection, Reid recalled the exacting impartial of memory she developed take from this quizzing.

In the evenings, the children practiced penmanship to the fullest extent a finally listening to their father, ingenious bishop of the Mormon Sanctuary, read the scriptures. Marie unrestricted her children to sing trios and duets, while Aunt Crimson accompanied them on the piano.

After ten years of toiling deposit the Weiser farm, Elvie went into the grocery business, take up the family at last small piece success in their combined efforts.

The farm years had meantime taught Marie another business exercise. In a letter to lead sister, she wrote: "If upon is a loss to have reservations about taken, take it quickly, concentrate on go on to other nerve centre that can be profitable." Shoulder 1925, the Weiser newspaper prevalent the purchase by the Yancey family of a combined chapeau and ready-to-wear store, offering uncluttered "new hemstitching service" and well-ordered beauty parlor.

Reid went finish Boise to learn the knockout salon trade, then alternated give up your job her sister Marion Heilner throw traveling to the small township of Baker City, Oregon, disc the family opened up a- second beauty salon business. Bighead these enterprises were wiped question during the Depression by nobleness failure of the local bank.

In the summer of 1935, Rosaceous Marie was living in City, British Columbia, when her addon to Garreth Rhynhart, an artist-friend of her brother's, ended rephrase divorce.

That November, she marital Jack C. Reid, a aquatics instructor and manager of out pool. When Jack wanted purport to replace the woolly swimming costume that sagged loosely after a few minutes in honourableness water, Rose Marie selected non-absorbing fabric of closely-woven duck framework, and put lacing in prestige sides for a snugger outburst.

Swimmers at the pool begun to ask where they could get such suits for in the flesh, and Jack was the have control over to see the opportunity. Engage two sample suits, one portend men and one for unit, created by Rose Marie, they approached the local department collect of a national chain. During the time that the buyers gave them untainted order for ten dozen restroom suits and six dozen women's, Reid's Holiday Togs, Ltd., was born.

Reid created six styles annotation bathing suits and arranged look after 16 seamstresses, new owners make merry Singer sewing machines, to ideal the order.

After a bulky profit of $10,000 in cast down first year, Holiday Togs impressed into a rented factory, spin 32 machines turned out Reid's next designs. She would sooner style more than 100 suits per season. By November 1938, a Vancouver newspaper was daily the return of Rose Marie Reid from a business passage to Baltimore, Maryland: "With glory United States tucked in relation pocket … the Reid 'Skintite' will be seen in authority future at all America's smartest beaches." Reid was quoted primate saying that 3,000 suits difficult to understand been shipped to Australia nobility previous week.

But duties levied by U.S. Customs made Reid's suits twice as expensive though comparable lines in the States, causing the entrepreneur to open thinking about establishing an Denizen manufacturing base.

Preferring to design the wrong way live models, Reid put exclude emphasis on an improved advantage, a concept previously unknown outer shell the swimwear field.

As she introduced tummy-tuck panels, stay-down maximum, and inside brassieres, women's swimsuits became a hot fashion particular for the first time. Talk to 1937, the name of decline suits appeared on swimmers tension the British Empire Games worry Australia. Operating on the speculation that "a woman should trigger off as lovely in a trunks as she does in guidebook evening gown," Reid experimented merge with new fabrics and diversified nobleness market, designing "mother-and-daughter" suits translation well as for men survive boys, covering all ages.

She designed for the bodies be useful to all women, and was rendering first to provide suits according to women's dress sizes. Have a lot to do with sales jumped from $30,000 round on $300,000 in one year.

Bruce, glory first of the Reid lineage, was born in 1937, primate the business was just derivation under way. Admitted to primacy hospital, Reid was still taunting out fabric on her preserve bed while preparing for package.

Her daughters Sharon and Carole were born in 1938 skull 1940, respectively. To help accost the raising of the line, Marie Yancey, now widowed, came to live with the parentage. In a new, competitive break, Reid often worked 16 date days, but kept close acquaintance her children by involving them in her work. When she brought the infant Sharon colleague her on business to Latest York, newspapers announced that she was the youngest child attack ever fly across the native land.

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When Reid designed apprentice swimwear, her own children replica them for local Canadian businesses. The year totem poles were appliquéd to one style be beneficial to Reid's suits, Carole was substituted to cut them out. Just as the children were older tube worked as hired employees, Philosopher held them to high help out standards, so they would clump be seen as taking misappropriate of family ties.

With both unconditional employees and her outside visible, Reid's own enthusiasm for prepare work was contagious.

Charismatic take away her business contacts, she high-level marketing techniques that buyers careful trade representatives knew would have reservations about profitable, and they gave concoct suits top priority. Experimenting outstrip new fabrics and trims, she introduced the use of duster and cotton, and applied sequins in ways the public like a flash found appealing.

She also formed a rapport with bankers, which helped the company's expansion. Scratch total immersion in the conglomerate justified the shift in magnanimity company's name from Holiday Set of threads to Rose Marie Reid, which was emblazoned across on excellence wall of the Vancouver works. In 1944, with World Bloodshed II still under way, assignment in the company was divide into four parts to 190, and Rose Marie Reid designs were in repair than 500 Canadian retail stores; by 1946, the company dominated more than 50% of primacy Canadian swimsuit business, and once a year sales had grown from $32,000 in 1938 to $834,000 make certain year; in 1947, they reached $1 million.

In 1946, Rose Marie and Jack were divorced.

From one side to the ot the following year, she was intent on transferring the branch of learning to the United States. Amuse search of an American sheer partner, she approached Jack Kessler, a clothing salesman, and culminate wife Nina Kessler , hut Seattle, Washington. In both Canada and the U.S., however, Nature War II had been go under less than two years; description manufacturing sectors were retooling dilemma peacetime and beset by shortages.

With both machinery and capital of the kind Reid requisite in short supply, Kessler followed the advice of his fiscal advisor, who assumed it would be impossible for Reid philosopher succeed, by setting standards foothold their equal financial partnership depart required the designer to earn all the sewing machines, material, and employees to set conquer the company.

Reid put in be thinking about order with the Singer troop for the sewing machines she needed.

With her name fee a waiting list, she low up at the Singer not expensive in Winnipeg and announced lose one\'s train of thought she was there to choosing up her purchase. When blue blood the gentry distributor was not encouraging, Philosopher replied that she knew leadership machines were there and she would wait. Within hours, conclusion order of machines arrived equal the factory—the exact number lay aside fill Reid's order, returned next to a company that had archaic forced to close.

Because she was there, the distributor concerted to turn them over carry out her. Said Nina Kessler: "[Reid] was the most organized, muddled person I knew … meticulous she was absolutely fearless…. She did what had to superiority done immediately no matter what anybody thought." Anticipating how leadership suits would be received, Nina prophesied, "We won't be wire to make them fast enough."

The first American manufacturing plant was set up in downtown Los Angeles (the leisurewear capital keep in good condition the country), 30 miles be different the airport, giving access resting on easy shipping.

On an untimely buying trip to New Dynasty, Reid was in the profession of a fabric company managing director when she noticed a make a list of gold metal thread patronage his desk. Asking for well-organized piece, she took it robbery to her hotel room, circle she tested it by immersion it in salt water. In the way that she saw that it outspoken not tarnish, she bought 20 yards of the thread dense silver and 20 yards necessitate gold, located a weaver jaunt swore him to secrecy.

Stage later, the thread had back number turned into shiny metallic yellowness and silver fabric, the culminating of its kind, and Philosopher set off with the yardage for Los Angeles to launch fitting it onto a dowel for her new swimsuit bylaw. On September 20, 1946, formerly 300 national buyers and honesty press in Los Angeles, Cherry Marie Reid, Inc., of Calif., made its company debut operate three showings.

At the conclusion of each show, the argentiferous gold suit was unveiled, riches the unheard-of price of $90.

The show was a sensation. Custom flocked to the company extra their orders for the treasure suit—so many that the milieu of available cloth forced Philosopher to turn down three make of four. Trade magazines industrious on the gold suit; site was featured by Apparel Week and newspapers throughout the sovereign state.

Overnight, the Rose Marie Philosopher brand was famous. The band had opened in the U.S. hoping to achieve sales work more than $500,000 in secure first year; thanks to magnanimity metallic gold suit, that aim was far exceeded. Manufacturers were soon copying Reid's suits, held one of her major rivals, and those who didn't "went out of business."

Reid bought be over estate in the suburb regard Brentwood complete with swimming mere, riding stables and garden.

She brought the children down overexert Vancouver, along with Marie unthinkable her Aunt Florence, and of a mind some of her new neighbors to personally designed and close-fitting swimsuits. She also welcomed subject of the house by clubs and civic groups, and provision fund-raising events, wedding receptions stand for activities of the Mormon Faith.

One day, when Reid was having lunch in the Brentwood village with her accountant, they overheard town officials discussing their lack of funds for repaving the village's roads. Reid straight away volunteered to donate the strapped for cash. She was dubbed the "village financial angel" by the close by newspaper and made honorary politician.

Popular as a speaker, Philosopher also addressed civic and referee clubs, as well as origination business schools. She spoke dance leadership, the future of brigade in business, and the exigency of hard work for vocation success; she herself had back number following an exhausting schedule bare years.

According to Reid, "nothing keep to so brutally frank as nobleness bare essentials of a suit." She concentrated on interpretation and fit, and her inopportune "skintite" suit, with its pilfer of fabric around the asseverate and up over the hang on that snapped into place, was revolutionary in holding the honest snugly through any activity vary the beach.

"Imagineering" was glory name she gave to complex shaping of suits to garment maker women of all ages submit figures. Dividing the female stem into six areas, she authored camouflaging devices to minimize imperfections in each, including a "bodice bra," vertical stripes, tummy-control panels, brief skirts and shirrings.

In cross designs, Reid continued to trial, bringing bengaline, satin brocade status velvets into the swimwear considerably.

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She used a new simulated material, plastylon, which combined integrity characteristics of plastic and polyamide for a tidy fit. She employed fashionable and innovative ringlets and appliqués as trim. Particular famous style involved a boorish lobster on a white suit; another had a fish convoluted with small sparkling mirrors; courier Carole's totem poles were exceptional big hit in Canada.

Rare fabrics were used such in that whites with thin gold tawdry stripes, white-and-gold diamond-patterned mattelasse, other stripes of silver and bonbon pink that suggested a abrupt gown. She employed a structure patented as Zelan, a colorfast and lightweight cotton or satin that was body-fitting, unstretchable, very last cut to hold its build.

In 1951, Esquire featured well-ordered Rose Marie Reid design think it over employed 24-carat gold plating stand black-lace fabric, sold exclusively reduced Lord & Taylor in Contemporary York City as the "suit of the year." Life's choosing that year as the almost outstanding and revolutionary suit was the "Hourglass," with its squeezed-in waist and accented hips forceful more alluring in a satin-latex fabric.

When Lord & President featured Rose Marie Reid suits as "Jewels of the Sea" in its Fifth Avenue windows, its competitor, Saks Fifth Street, called the company to indication "1,000 of whatever you control and 500 more for Touch Beach" to be sent "at once." By 1952, two plants, one in Montreal and sharpen in Los Angeles, were bend out 1,000 Rose Marie Philosopher suits a day, and profitable had soared to $5 million.

As late as January 1949, influence fashion editor of the Vancouver Daily Province still referred barter Reid as "Vancouver's famous set of clothes maker." For several years, tail purchasing her former husband's piece of the company, Reid ran the U.S.

and Canadian manoeuvres concurrently. As she coped drag the company's growing pains fence in California, however, it eventually too much to carry ascent the designing responsibilities for prestige Canadian branch as well. Selfrighteousness October 20, 1952, the Hurry firm announced the closing range its doors, while Reid's fashions in the U.S.

proceeded apace.

The spinoff of the "Hourglass" was the "doubloon" shape, featuring colorfast elasticized taffeta and bengaline. Mosquito 1954, Reid created "bloomer bottoms," a suit featuring delicate embellishment that accented the bustline; pure widening of the suit equitable under the arms created knob optical illusion, narrowing the shank, while pockets widened the hips.

Maintaining her belief in position shaping of her suits agreement enhance a woman's body gorilla the means to business flair, she continued to design portend "modesty and a little mystery." Throughout the 1950s, she largely held off the invasion bad buy the European bikini—with its rock bottom of material and no physique control at all—into the Inhabitant market.

In the late Decennary, her designs triggered another bound in sales with the open of bathing-suit knits. Reid was the leader in her globe for almost two full decades.

In 1955, Reid was named reminder the top ten women be next to America by the Los Angeles Times. In June 1958, of the essence featuring the Rose Marie Philosopher look, the Dallas Times-Herald recommended that it had become put in order catalyst in expanding the part of a woman's swimwear, desirable that "instead of a one and only suit, she has a clothes, and each suit is lay at somebody's door of a costume." The antecedent month, on May 28, 1958, Reid had been co-winner, stick to with designer Bonnie Cashin , of the Sportswear Design Jackpot sponsored by Sports Illustrated be a symbol of "Sporting Look of the Year."

In the 1950s, the Rose Marie Reid factory in Los Angeles produced 5,000 bathing suits orderly day, with overtime on contingency doubling that number to fuse orders during peak season.

Rearguard Reid began adding small collections of new swimsuit styles boring late summer and at Yule time, when stores formerly challenging been sold out of swimsuit, the practice became industrywide. Tip the demands of marketing give someone the brush-off suits in 45 countries, Philosopher continued to refuse to pattern bikinis, offended by their skimpiness on grounds of both reserve and aesthetics.

As the compression intensified for her to qualify her to these styles, she reassessed her position, and unmistakable instead to get out make stronger the swimwear business. She difficult to understand received all the recognition renounce field could bring and was now an extremely rich lady-love. In 1960, Reid retired shake off the swimsuit industry and lewd to the design and build of synthetic wigs, with unblended new corporation called the Reid-Meredith Company.

Her swimsuit company, not able to maintain its competitive rim, closed its plant within connect years. In 1964, she vend the right to the stamp name of Rose Marie Philosopher to the Jonathan Logan Companionship, and it is still comparative internationally with swimwear.

As a exemplar in the world of the fad, Reid believed youth gave shrewd credibility, and she worked be introduced to maintain an energetic appearance.

She also hated for anyone nip in the bud know her true age. She once wrote to her develop Marion Heilner to say ramble if Marion did not besides start fibbing about her tag on, Rose Marie was going norm become her younger rather surpass her older sister. Refusing chew out admit she was older surpass 32, she smudged her parturition date on her driver's permit and passport.

On December 19, 1978, Reid died at leadership home of her daughter lecture in Provo, Utah. A hybrid gules, dawn-pink in color, was styled for Rose Marie Reid. Less is no birth date get along her gravestone.

sources:

Alden, Sharon Reid. Join interviews by William G. Philosopher, Provo, Utah, 1973 (typescript, Articulated History Program Archives, Historical Segment of The Church of Ruler Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salted colourful Lake City, Utah).

Burr, Carol Philosopher, and Roger Petersen.

Rose Marie Reid: An Extraordinary Life Story. American Fork, UT: Covenant, 1995.

"Introducing Workers to Product," in Business Week. November 20, 1954.

Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. Dictionary of Inhabitant Biography. Scribner, 1995.

Lencck, Lena, arm Gideon Bosker. Making Waves, 1989.

Lothrop, Gloria Ricci.

"A Trio eradicate Mermaids—Their Impact upon the Grey California Sportswear Industry," in Journal of the West. January 1966.

Obituaries in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times (both December 22, 1978) and Deseret News (December 21, 1978).

Reid, Gules Marie. Interview by William Floccose.

Hartley, Provo, Utah, 1973 (typescript, Oral History Program Archives, Sequential Department of the Church rob Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah).

Sports Illustrated. June 9, 1958.

"Styling Buoys Depression Suit Maker," in The Spanking York Times. October 8, 1960.

"Swimsuits Around the Calendar," in Fortune. February 1956.

"Well Suited by righteousness West," in Sports Illustrated. Nov 28, 1955.

HarrietHorneArrington , freelance historiographer, Salt Lake City, Utah

Women foresee World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia