Please help with this swimsuit!

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alison

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Hi,

This is my first time here, and I hope that some of you will be kind enough to help me!

I have a swimsuit that appears to be rayon. It is made by Rose Marie Reid. It has a metal zipper with a hook and eye closure. The bust has boning and is lined with a fabric that looks like cotton and between that layer and the front of the suit, it has a spongy or foam type lining. The fabric content/care/size tag are too faded to see. The brand says "Rose Marie Reid Magic L-E-N-G-T-H". It has vertical gathered elastic on the sides and in the back. My first guess was 40's or 50's. Here are some pictures of it:
<p>
<A HREF="http://www.globalarray.net"><IMG SRC="http://www.globalarray.net/user/tdevenney/RMRVintage1.JPG" alt="Hosted By Auction Assist"></a>
<p> <A HREF="http://www.globalarray.net"><IMG SRC="http://www.globalarray.net/user/tdevenney/RMRVintage2.JPG" alt="Hosted By Auction Assist"></a>
<p><A HREF="http://www.globalarray.net"><IMG SRC="http://www.globalarray.net/user/tdevenney/RMRVintage3.JPG" alt="Hosted By Auction Assist"></a> <p><A HREF="http://www.globalarray.net"><IMG SRC="http://www.globalarray.net/user/tdevenney/RMRVintage4.JPG" alt="Hosted By Auction Assist"></a> <p>

I could use a little help with the sizing also. I realize that vintage sizes will be different than today's sizes. I am a modern size 7/8, 34B bra, and I tried it on, and it fit in the waist, but bust area was big and the hip area was big. It seems to be for an hourglass figure, unlike mine! (LOL!) The measurements are: Bust: 32" - 35" (the elastic stretches), Waist: 27", hips: up to 38". <p>I don't know much about vintage items, and any help is GREATLY appreciated!



Thanks!

Alison
 
Does it say made in Canada or the United States? If it is made in Canada then it predates 1952 (I think...) SHe was originally based in Vancouver and moved her operations to California. It looks early 50s to me, so it could be either...
 
It doesn't say. There is a little woven tag where I am thinking the fabric content and size were, that is faded. I can just about make out a number on it, though, it looks like 9614. I would bet that's the tag where the country of manufacture would be!

Thanks for your input!
 
Looks early 50's to me - maybe even earlier. Rose Marie Reid is a great label, and I'll bet bidders are going to go nuts over it - all that ruching! And it looks like the straps could also be crossed in back - ?

As for the size - just give the actual measurments as you did here ~ and be sure to use Hourglass and/or Bomshell as keywords :)

Carolyn
 
Thanks Carolyn! I will be sure to use those GREAT keywords! The straps are adjustable with three button holes on each, so yes, I think they could be crossed.
 
I'm wondering if "L-E-N-G-T-H" is referring to fashions for a tall gal?
It looks rather looong. That's a good thing.. at least for gals like me :)

Kristine
 
Ya know what's freaky? Well, a lot of things, but.....about my particular freakiness...

I suddenly blossomed into a young lady and could no longer wear the swimsuits, sunsuits, etc., that I had usually worn when we went swimming and camping. I needed the modesty of a lined suit as well as one that I could squeeze into. Nothing to wear, period. And we were headed to the mountains for 10 days.

Mom pulled out her old black bathing suit quite similar to this one. Mine - note I said, "mine" - had boning and ruching and a detachable halter strap that wrapped around the neck and attached to hidden buttons on each side of the front (if I wanted to go strapless).

Can you imagine just how mortified I was to have to wear that suit for a week! I mean, that's all one wears at the lake is a bathing suit. I was 13 years old and soooo ashamed of the old, ugly bathing suit. Of course, it was old....even my mother wouldn't wear it!

Needless to say, when we got home, I was handed the money to head to Proffitt's and buy my first decent two-piece bathing suit. Thank God, my mother let my older cousin, Marianna, accompany me (well, she was 17!) and she brought this poor little girl out of the dregs of the shame of having to wear an old, vintage bathing suit. I soon moved on to the type of bikini a hip gal of the mid-60's should be seen wearing.

Black. Hrrrrump....cool girls of the sixties didn't wear black pinup girl suits.

Oh...btw...wish I still had it.


Brenda
 
:P, Brenda.

That is seriously-bombshell, Alison! ...and welcome aboard!

Steph
 
Thanks for all your encouragement! I will be getting my auction ready, and hopefully list it this week.:)
 
Alison -

Looks great to me! Your description is excellent, the kind I really appreciate (and strive for myself) - clear and to the point.

I'm on my laptop, which tends to be dark - so the black-on-blue headline is hard to make out, but it'd probably read just fine on a 'real' monitor. My only other thought - I have to tell you, I found myself squinting at the china in your hutch, trying to get a better look :) But while a less-busy background might show the suit a little better, your photos more than serve the purpose and are head-and-shoulders above the majority of what's out there. I say you done good.

And - if the suit isn't getting the attention it deserves, if you can hold on to it until next February or so (pre- Viva Las Vegas) you'll have no trouble at all selling it for a nice price.

:)

Carolyn
 
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