Frederick Mellinger
(New York, 1913-1990)
“Come in looking like a Chevy, leave looking like a Cadillac.”
— Frederick Mellinger
Post-World War II America was a different world until master designer and inventor Frederick Mellinger took it by storm with his introduction of playful lingerie. The bold entrepreneur created the now-iconic lingerie of Hollywood glamour and made technical advancements to help women achieve well-proportioned figures at a time when white cotton bloomers and utilitarian bras from rationed fabrics were the status quo, forever transforming undergarments across America. Lingerie was a natural outlet for the famous designer’s fearless creative genius but it did not stop there. He also designed divinely inspired glamour into all types of women’s fashion - including formal wear, club wear, suits and business wear, casual wear and denim, outer wear, active wear, nightwear, swimwear, and footwear - blending high fashion and sex appeal in enchanting ways. With inspired and imaginative shapes, patterns, colors, and details, his designs were exquisite to behold and empowering to wear. His vision and actions revolutionized both the undergarment and the fashion industries in the United States and worldwide and helped American culture move away from the war. He conjured up only the best for the female form, and his fashions launched to super stardom.
Mellinger was born in the Lower East Side of New York City in 1913. As a teenager during the Great Depression, he worked as a clerk at a women’s undergarment mail-order company. He proposed to the management team that the company offer some black options instead of only the traditional white and was immediately let go. A decade later, he was stationed in Midwest Europe during WWII, where the popularity of pin-up girl posters resonated with him. Discussing them with his GI companions, he became ever surer that he was not alone in the desire to see women upgrade from white underwear to something more exotic and collected information about the kind of fashions they would like to see for their wives and girlfriends.
After the war, his gifts of innovation and self-promotion really started to flow as he tapped into a grossly underserved market. He began designing and selling the fantasy fashions in a mail-order shop he set up in Manhattan, New York, which he originally called Mellinger's of the Lower East Side, followed by Fredericks of Fifth Avenue, at first selling mostly black lingerie. His ads were considered so racy for the time that newspapers of the time refused to carry them, but his catalogues were mailed all over the country. A year later, he moved the company to Hollywood, establishing Frederick’s of Hollywood in 1946, and things really took off in 1947, when he opened his first brick and mortar store. His little black underthings certainly raised a few eyebrows, but Hollywood actresses recognized their worth and soon spread their appreciation of his lingerie and his clothing to the American public. His Hollywood following included acclaimed actresses and sultry starlets such as Greta Garbo, Mae West, Jayne Mansfield, and Marilyn Monroe, but most of his customers came not from large cities but from Middle America. A common sight was that of women shopping his emporiums while pushing baby strollers.
Besides creating transcendent fashions of all types, the artistic creator pioneered several groundbreaking products that would have worldwide impact. Mellinger was exposed to the newly invented bikini swimsuit during a 1947 trip to France. The bikini is commonly recorded as first appearing in France in 1946, partly due to material rationing after the war. He caught that wave early, ordering as many as possible upon his arrival back in Hollywood, and it quickly became his best seller. He designed the padded bra in 1947, the very first push-up bra in 1948 – aptly named the Rising Star, the padded girdle in 1951, and the push-up bikini in 1958.
Mellinger knew that in every woman’s mind, just around the corner is a lovely dress, wonderful suit, or entire costume which will make an enchanting new creature of her, and he designed and delivered them. He empowered women to embrace their beauty, be themselves, and lead the country into the postwar era and beyond. He was a great American success story. He continued to run his company until age 76, when complications from pneumonia took his life in 1990.
The American Fine Art Gallery is fortunate to have acquired the fabulous original collection of sketches, mixed media, and photographs - a kaleidoscope of beauty and historical impact - revealing the true creative genius that was Frederick Mellinger. Changing more than just the color and fabric, he dreamt big, turned his dreams into material reality, and transformed the lingerie industry forever.
American Fine Art, Inc. is proud to feature the original works and limited editions of Frederick Mellinger. Visit our 12,000 sq. ft. showroom in Scottsdale, Arizona or call today. Our website is offered only as a limited place to browse or refresh your memory and is not a reflection of our current inventory. To learn more about collecting, pricing, value, or any other art information, please contact one of our International Art Consultants. We look forward to giving you the one on one attention you deserve when building your fine art collection. We hope you find our website helpful and look forward to seeing you in Scottsdale soon.