VINTAGE MAIDENFORM LINGERIE
By Subhadra Eberly
A Brief History And Guide To Dating Vintage Maidenform Lingerie
Ida Rosenthal (formally Ida Cohen) came to the United States after leaving her native country, Belarus, in 1905. In 1906 she opened a small dressmaker's shop in Hoboken, New Jersey, and the following year she married William Rosenthal, a dress wholesaler and manufacturer. In 1919, the dress shop relocated to New York City. After forming a partnership with Enid Bissett in 1921, the shop moved to Manhattan where the three ran a custom made dress business by the name of End Frocks.
With the popularity of the boyish figure during the 1920's, bras were being made to conceal and flatten a women's bust. Because of this trend, the dresses produced at Enid Frocks weren't fitting buyers properly. William Rosenthal, who also happened to be an amateur sculptor, helped create brassieres with elastic at the center and two "pockets" which were built into the dresses. Soon enough, customers began requesting separate bras, so the three gave each buyer a separate "Enid" brassiere as a gift with their dress purchase. With the brassieres at Enid Frocks being a success, they began producing a line of bras using the name Maiden Form (opposite of the trendy "boyish form") in 1922. The name later changed to the one word Maidenform.
A few years later, they stopped dress production and focused their business on brassiere manufacturing. In 1925, they incorporated their company as Enid Manufacturing Company. In 1927, William Rosenthal became president of the company, and patented several brassiere designs including the full-figure and nursing bra. By 1928, the company was producing over 500,000 bras a year. The brand name Maidenform was so successful, that in 1930 the company changed its name to Maidenform Brassiere Company and went on to producing other lingerie such as corsets, corselettes, girdles, etc. The Variation bra, which sold for $1 in the 30's, became the first style to reach $1 million in sales.
Maiden Form Brassieres
From 1949 to 1969, the company launched their Freudian inspired "I Dreamed" campaign. The campaign consisted of 163 exhibitionist dream sequence print ads, with tag lines such as "I dreamed I was a real dish in my Maidenform bra" or "I dreamed I was shopping in my Maidenform bra." Maidenform introduced Allo-Ette nylon, which appeared in the very first "I Dreamed" ad. By 1950, Maidenform was the best selling bra in the country, and the company was producing 12 million bras a year in different styles, sizes, colors, and material. The biggest seller during the 50's was the pointy Chansonette bra. When William Rosenthal died in 1958, Ida became the president, chief executive, and chairman of Maidenform. In 1959, her son-in-law, Dr. Joseph Coleman was given the position of company president. In 1960, the company changed its name to Maidenform, Inc. and was now selling bras in 115 countries. In 1961, the company began producing bathing suits with built in bras. While the company was generating revenue close to $50 million by the mid sixties, other companies such as Playtex were emerging, pushing Maidenform out of their number one spot in the bra industry. By this time, other lingerie manufacturers were creating more feminine and sensual lingerie, while Maidenform remained conservative - sticking to their classic styles. This, combined with the company's lack of television advertising caused the company to lose sales. By 1970, Maidenform began manufacturing foundation garments, lingerie, and sportswear. Garments were being offered in stretch materials such as Lycra, rather than just cotton and nylon. Swimsuits and sportswear proved unsuccessful, and Maidenform ended the manufacturing of these items by 1980. Maidenform had even created a line of denim jeans, which offered nothing more than a lost investment. With the company's sales decreasing, Maidenform turned to television commercial advertising in the early 1970's. Since models could not be shown in their underwear on TV, in 1976 the company had to resort to using models dancing in top hats while wearing bras over leotards. By 1979 the company went back to using print ads with something of a reincarnation of their previously used "I Dreamed" campaign. The new ad campaign began showing women wearing their lingerie in the workplace, surrounded by fully clothed men.The tagline was "The Maidenform woman. You never know where she'll turn up." Feminists did not take too kindly to these ads, and Women Against Pornography awarded Maidenform a plastic pig in 1981 and 1982 for sexist advertising. In 1983, Maidenform changed the ads to women "dreaming" in their own homes, without the presence of men. Just when they were in the clear, Maidenform ran TV commercials in 1987 without female models. These ads featured famous male actors such as Pierce Brosnon and Christopher Reeve discussing women's lingerie. Feminists considered this offensive, stating that the ads were implying that women's lingerie was for the sole purpose of pleasing men. Maidenform went so far as to run an ad campaign in 1991 featuring nothing more than images of a tomato, fox, cat, dog, and chick. No one was pleased.
A CONTROVERSIAL MAIDENFORM COMMERCIAL FEATURING PIERCE BROSNON 
REGISTERED MAIDENFORM TRADEMARKS USED FOR VARIOUS LINES OF LINGERIE AND THE FIRST YEAR OF COMMERCIAL USE
1922 - Enid (Registered By Enid Frocks)
1923 - Maiden Form
1924 - Maidenform
1928 - Maidenette (Registered By Enid Mfg. Co.)
1929 - Corsage
1930 - Visa-Versa, "Ever-Sheer"
1932 - Dec-la-tay
1933 - Once Over, Full Fashion Brassiere Fits Like A Stocking
1934 - Fris-kee, Pre-Lude
1935 - "Masquerade", "Sweet - Music", "Remold"
1936 - Intimo
1946 - Allegretto
1947- Counterpoint
1949 - Chansonette (USPTO claims 1st use in 1936, Maidenform says 1949)
1950 - Young Mother
1951 - Shape-Mates, Private Affair, Under-Cover
1955 - Six-Way, Much Ado, Confection
1956 - Concertina
1957 - Under Right, Flowerette, White Flowers, Overlastic , Sarabande, Twice-Over, Innuendo, Twinnuendo, Refrain, Overtone, Undertone, Chorale, Stitch-In-Time
1958 - Reverie, Introduction, Episode, Improvisation, Innovation, Star Flower, Starstruck
1959 - Bi-Line, Choreography, Medley, Subterfuge, Charade, Emphasis, First Star, Stellar, Stargazer, Arabesque
1960 - Strategy, Lo Bak, Dream By Maidenform, Sweet Dreams (Nightgowns, Peignoirs, etc.)
1961 - First Inventions, Diatonic, Evermold, Dream-Aire, Tarantella, Habanera, Overlastic , Ballade, Split Level, Dreamliner
1962 - Baubles, Excerpt, Limbo
1963 - Contraband, Sweet Miss, Free Lance, Formidable, Sweet Nothings, Sweet Star, Under Right, Moreover, Dream Flowers, Dialogue, High-Wire, Undercurrent, Never-The-Less, Columbine, Cymbaline, Pin Wheel
1964 - Alibi, Bare Necessity, Baroque, Lacery, Petty Larceny, Confection, Delectable, Bare Devil,
*1964 - Tric-O-Lastic (USPTO says 1st used in 1931, however, Tric-O-Lastic was a Lycra and Nylon Bra so it was produced after 1962. The TM was filed in '64 so that's where I'm sticking it.)
1965 - Undermost, Thistledown, Sheer Music, Half Way, Easy Touch, Fashion Time, Sheer Ease, Diamond Touch, Butterflirt, Lace-In-One, Stitch-In-Tame, Flutter-Flirt, Briefling, Sweet Thing, Dream Spun, Silcontrol, Print-Time, Precious Little (lingerie and swimwear)
1966 - Shaperies, Skindergarters, Shape-Capers, Counter-Part, Brieflee, Whirligigs, Wise Guise, Up-Stares, Firmament, Seamaiden, Shape-Mate, Counterpoise, Smooth 'N Fresh, Trumpet Shell, Spindle Shell, Star Shell, Silver Shell, Limpet Shell, Slipper Shell, Slit Shell, Wonder Smooth, Evermore, Under-Sheath
1967 - Keyhole Limpet Shell, Sweet Limpet Shell, Calico Scallop Shell, Sea Dream, Delectables, Dream-Timer, Pebble-Partners, Delicacy, Floradorable
1968 - Taff-Stay, Prize Possessions, The Outside-Ins, Slip Shape, Taff-Smooth, Ariette, Aria, The Totally Terrifics, Definition, Beguilements, Stitch'N Tame, The Glow-Togethers, Camouflage, Once Over Lightly, The Simpli-Fit Slip, Tame-Me-Tights, Tame-Me, Prints Charming, Shape-Mates, Lace-Confection, Undercling, Mini-Cling, Stretch-Confection, Briefcling
1969 - Comfort Wire, Dreamwear, Barely Me, Beckon, The Girl-Dle, Little-Me, Merely Me, Nearly You, Skin-Flint, Softtimer, Suggestion, The Under-Study, Sliperino, Help-Mate, Sweet Secret, Pluperfect, Tric-O-Plus, Mini-Trico, Panteens
*Several lines from 1969 consisted of lounge wear and sleep wear.
1970 - No-Show, Tric-O-Wire, Tric-O-Chic, Mini-Wire, Seen-Less, Tric-O-Sleeko, Lustre-Wire, She-Sheer, Naked Truth, Round Number, Smooth Number, Lithelee, Vanishing Act, Smooth Operator, Your Body, Woman Power, Shimmer-Sheer, Sheer-Dear, Sheerling, Misty Me, Clearly Me, Shimmerling, Body Thing, Freeling, Skin Wear, Underskins, She-Shape, Dear-Ling, Sheer-Thing, Little Notion, Under-Fling, Body Talk, Memory Stretch, Underling
1971 - Here's Looking At You, Bare Pair, Cro-Chic, Rated X, Watch Me, Brief Encounter, Stay With Me, Slight Advantage, Shape Me, Nothing But The Truth, Color Me Pretty, Tender Lace, Just A Little, Bodymates
1972 - In-Thing, More Or Less, Hold Me Lightly, Bright Thing, Nice Feeling, Small Talk, Little Difference, Real Thing, Bright Body, Body Bright, Good Sense, Take The Plunge
1973 - Secret Center, Cotton Up, Shape Me Sweetly, Shape Me Pretty, Keep Me In Style, Sweet MS., Bit Of Brightness, Bit Of Color
1974 - Something-Else, Any-Body For Sports, The Value-Ables, Game For Anything, Name Your Game, Be A Good Sport, The Shape Maker
1975 - Secret Circle, Double Entendre
1976 - Frosty No-Shows, Pants Tamer, No-Show Naturals, Dreamform
1977 - Sweet Somethings, No-Show Silkies, Little Luxuries, French Fancy, Something Shapely, Nice 'N Spicy
1978 - Dream, Pretty Special, Counterparts (women's pants and slacks), Wiseguys (Men's And Boys Clothing)
1979 - Good Figuring, Pretty Pro, Pretty Shapely, Pretty Foxy
1980 - Hip Slimmer
1981 - Chantilly, The Cotton Continentals
1982 - Liaisons, Do It In Style, Softalure, La Belle Lace, Letter Perfect
1983 - Wise Buys
1984 - B-Comfortable, Whistles
1985 - Fashion Secrets, Appliques, Creme de la Creme, No-Ride
1986 - Young Performers
1987 - Something Special, Heartstrings
1989 - Rendezvous
OTHER MAIDENFORM REGISTERED TRADEMARKS USED FOR ADVERTISING TAG LINES AND POSSIBLY VARIOUS LINGERIE LINES
1933 - Full Fashion Brassiere Fits Like A Stocking
1938 - There Is A Maidenform For Every Type Of Figure
1958 - A Dream Of A Bra For Young Figures!
1971 - You'll Never Yank At A Girdle Again
1977 - You Can See Why I'm A Maidenform Woman
1979 - The Maidenform Woman. You Never Know Where She'll Turn Up.
