Skip to main content
Events

Provo's Connection to Fashion and Hollywood, Rose Marie Reid, is the Subject of New Exhibition at the BYU Library

In the middle of the Great Depression Rose Marie Yancey Reid was asked by her husband Jack, a swimming instructor and athletic manager, to design a more functional swimsuit.

He was so happy with the lace-up suit she created that he took a duplicate suit to the Hudson Bay Department Store. Impressed, Hudson Bay requested a lady's suit design and ended up ordering nearly 200.

With that 1936 order, Reid's first business, Reid's Holiday Togs, Ltd., was born. From that day until the mid-1960s the name Rose Marie Reid was synonymous with beautiful, functional, and innovative women's swimwear. Her swimsuits were advertised widely in fashion magazines and were sold in department stores in Canada, the United States,and Europe.

The BYU's L. Tom Perry Special Collections in the Harold B. Lee Library has just opened an exhibition on the life and work of Reid.Rose Marie Reid: Glamour By Designwill feature Reid's letters, photographs, promotional materials, and of course significant examples of her swimwear.

Reid's suits were more than fashionable. Her long-term success came from using patented fabrics and designs to improve the fit and function of her suits. She found loyal customers in some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Rita Hayworth, Jane Mansfield, and Marilyn Monroe were known to wear Rose Marie Reid suits. In 1959, Sandra Dee and the other female co-stars of the film Gidget all wore Reid's suits.

Reid's business savvy was recognized when she was named Woman of the Year by the Los Angeles Times in 1955, and her status as a top designer was sealed when Sports Illustrated awarded her the Sporting Look Award in 1958. The committee for the Sports Illustrated Magazine Sporting Look Award named Reid one of "America's top fashion authorities."

In the 1960s, Reid retired from swimsuit design and eventually built a home in Provo. Her work continues to influence modern design with vintage suits finding a strong market on eBay and artisans making new suits inspired by her work that sell on Etsy. 

Rose Marie Reid: Glamour By Design will be located on level 1 of The Harold B. Lee Library on the campus of Brigham Young University. The exhibition will be open to the public and admission is free. Special Collections' hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday. Parking is free in BYU visitor parking areas near the Museum of Art and on the East side of campus. The exhibition will be in place through late spring of 2016.

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

2022 BYU holiday event guide

December 01, 2022
Festivity, fun and inspiration are everywhere this holiday season, especially at BYU.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU, Liberty University team up to tackle literacy project

October 18, 2022
The BYU Education Society and BYU Alumni Association, in conjunction with Liberty University's School of Education, are encouraging fans to bring new or lightly used children's books to the game for donation. Drop-off bins will be conveniently located outside the campus bookstore and the School of Education building, as well as at the BYU alumni tailgate in the Liberty Mountain Conference Center. The books will be collected by the United Way of Central Virginia and distributed to children in need.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

April 2022 Commencement: A life centered on Jesus Christ

April 21, 2022
At the first in-person commencement since April 2019, over 6,800 students were honored for their completion of higher degrees at Brigham Young University.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=