Rose Marie Yancey Reid was born in Cardston, Alberta, Canada in 1906. She and her family were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church). She was faithful to her religion and would play a role in the history of Mormon garments, standardizing designs.
Caption: Photo from Harold B. Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, https://exhibits.lib.byu.edu/rose-marie-reid/
Rose Marie moved to Idaho with her family in 1916 and when she was 15, she and her mother opened a Beauty Salon together. She attended Beauty School in Boise, Idaho. Rose Marie moved to Oregon and bought a salon. While there, she met and married Gareth Rhynhart in 1925, but they were divorced in 1935. Later that year, she married Jack Crossman Reid. They had three children together. In 1936, Rose Marie began a swimsuit-making business called Reid’s Holiday Togs in Vancouver. She started the company because the comfort, modesty, and material of swimsuits were unsatisfactory.
Rose Marie and Jack were divorced in 1946. Because of the need to support herself and her children, Rose Marie launched her swimsuit company in the United States. Her swimsuit company was called Rose Marie Reid, Inc. In that same year, Rose Marie sold 50% of the swimsuits in Canada. In 1949, Rose Marie and her family moved to California where she ran her business.
Rose Marie’s innovation in fabric and design made her swimsuits very popular. She was a pioneer in making women’s swimsuits with inner brassieres, tummy tuck panels, stay-down legs, elastic banding, brief skirts, and foundation garments, as well as elastic and water-repellent materials. Many of these designs were patented by Rose Marie.
Rose Marie’s company had stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, New York City, London, Paris, and Amsterdam. In fact, Hollywood actresses like Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe wore her designs, and her swimsuits were featured in movies like Gidget, Muscle Beach Party, and Where the Boys Are. In the 1960s, Rose Marie sold her company and stayed on for a period of time. However, she left the company when they wanted her to design bikinis, which she refused to do.
Religion played a major role in Rose Marie’s life. She was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While in California, Rose Marie participated in a fundraising effort so that the church could build the Los Angeles Temple in 1954. She designed a swimsuit and members of her local Relief Society sewed sequins on the swimsuit, which was called “Starlight” or the “Relief Society Suit.” The swimsuit sold for $50 and was very popular, even being featured in Life Magazine.
Caption: This photo shows a “Starlight” Rose Marie Reid swimsuit from 1956 owned by the Harold B. Lee Library of Brigham Young University displayed on a dressform. Photo by Rachel Helps (BYU)
In 1959, president and prophet of the church, David O. McKay, and president of the Relief Society, Belle Spafford approached Rose Marie Reid. They asked her to redesign the temple garment or Mormon endowment garment. She was asked to standardize the patterns, styles, and sizes for the temple garment. She fulfilled this commission. Rose Marie was a patron of BYU and gave a devotional at the University in 1953. She died in 1978 in Provo, Utah.
By Todd Noall, Source Expert
Todd Noall is an author and religious scholar at Mormonism Explained with a focus on the history and theology of religion.
Fact Checked by Mr. Kevin Prince, Source Expert
Kevin Prince is a religious scholar and host of the Gospel Learning Youtube channel. His channel has garnered over 41,000 subscribers and accumulated over 4.5 million views. Mr. Prince also created the Gospel Learning App, a reliable platform where individuals seeking truth can access trustworthy answers to religious questions from top educators worldwide.
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