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Frederick's of Hollywood

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"Frederick of Hollywood" redirects here. For the professional wrestler, see Fred Sampson.
"Frederick's" redirects here. Not to be confused with Fredericks (disambiguation).

Frederick's of Hollywood
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryClothing
Founded1947; 77 years ago (1947)
FounderFrederick Mellinger
HeadquartersUnited States
ProductsLingerie
ParentAuthentic Brands Group
Websitefredericks.com

Frederick's of Hollywood is an American lingerie brand formerly with stores in shopping malls across the United States. In 2015, all 111 retail stores were closed before a bankruptcy filing. The brand was acquired by Authentic Brands Group and was relaunched as an online-only store, FOH Online Corp. In 2018, Naked Brand Group, Inc. acquired FOH Online Corp.

History and operations

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The business began in 1946 in a Fifth Avenue loft in New York City, moved to the West Coast in 1947, and by 1996 had 200 stores across the country.[1]

The business was started by Frederick Mellinger[2] ("inventor of the Rising Star[3] push-up bra, the edible panty, and myriad garments whose chief attributes were that one could see through them and remove them quickly"[4]).[5] Frederick's sold bras, panties, corsets, bedroom slippers, a vast array of hosiery, bridal lingerie, special occasion lingerie, and more. The original flagship store, in the S. H. Kress and Co. Building on Hollywood Boulevard, was a landmark in Hollywood, California.[6]

The store previously housed The Lingerie Museum featuring The Celebrity Lingerie Hall of Fame (that replaced its Bra Museum), which exhibited a collection of underwear worn by Hollywood movie stars, such as one of Madonna's black pointy-breasted bustiers, the black lace bra and panties that Zsa Zsa Gabor wore in the 1953 film, Lili, a petticoat that Ava Gardner wore in Show Boat, a white peignoir that Mae West wore for Life magazine in 1952, the Milton Berle in-drag costume,[7][8] and those worn by Cher, Judy Garland, Cybill Shepherd, Belinda Carlisle, Phyllis Diller, Lana Turner, Shirley MacLaine, Tony Curtis, Mary Wilson, Mamie van Doren, the Pointer Sisters, Ethel Merman, Amanda Blake and Isabel Sanford.[9][10]

Frederick's of Hollywood was the market leader[11] in lingerie until the 1980s when it was overtaken by Victoria's Secret.[5]

See also: Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Hollywood § Repentant lingerie looter

In 1992, Frederick's lingerie museum drew national media attention when looted during the Los Angeles riots. Madonna’s black bustier, which was worn in her music video for Open Your Heart, was stolen and has never been returned despite a $1,000 reward from Frederick’s. Madonna gave the museum a replacement in exchange for a $10,000 donation to an organization that supplied free mammograms to people experiencing poverty. Other lingeries stolen in the store were "a petticoat Ava Gardner wore in Show Boat[12][13] and a push-up bra worn by actress Katey Sagal in Married... with Children. One repentant looter delivered a bag of Gardner's and Sagal's lingeries to the pastor at nearby Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Hollywood.[14][15][16] An Austin newspaper noted that Blessed Sacrament's pastor "may be the only priest in America to ever comfort a man who felt guilty about stealing celebrity bloomers."[17] In an article titled "Support Is Generous for Bra Museum", the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that such an "uplifting story could only happen in Hollywood."[18]

In 2001, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In 2003, it emerged from bankruptcy and was headquartered in Los Angeles.

In 2006, it merged with New York City sleepwear manufacturer Movie Star, and the headquarters was moved to New York.[19]

In September 2005, after 59 years, the store moved to the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue.

In 2008, the company changed its name to Frederick's of Hollywood Group Inc.[20] The company was traded on the American Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FOHL.

In May 2014, the company was taken private by Harbinger Group and other investors.[21] Its headquarters remain in New York City.

In 2015, the company closed its stores and again filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[22][23] Its brand and online operations were acquired by Authentic Brands Group. The company announced it would be online only, with possible plans to create products for sale in department stores and other retail outlets.[24]

In 2018, the company's online operations were acquired by the Naked Brand Group Inc.[25][26]

Some of the lingerie worn by the 1950s pin-up Bettie Page was from Frederick's of Hollywood.[5]

Notes

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  1. ^ "FREDERICK'S TURNS 50, BUT UNDERNEATH IT ALL, THE OLD SPIRIT LIVES ON". Chicago Tribune. February 12, 1996. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "Fredericks of Hollywood Lingerie". www.lingerie-uncovered.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "The rise and rise of the brassiere". The Sydney Morning Herald. October 11, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  4. ^ "FREDERICK'S TURNS 50, BUT UNDERNEATH IT ALL, THE OLD SPIRIT LIVES ON". Chicago Tribune. February 12, 1996. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c John Baxter (February 10, 2009). Carnal Knowledge: Baxter's Concise Encyclopedia of Modern Sex. HarperCollins. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-06-087434-6. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  6. ^ "S.H. Kress Department Store – Hollywood Historic Site". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  7. ^ "PeopleSEE ZSA ZSA'S UNDERWEAR - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "AFTER THE RIOTS - Confessions of a Star-Struck Looter - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. November 6, 2012. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ "ATTENTION UNDERWEAR WATCHERS". Daily Press. November 9, 1989. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  10. ^ Harvey, Steve (February 6, 1992). "More recognition for L.A.'s most famous cultural..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  11. ^ "Fredericks of Hollywood Locations & Hours Near Los Angeles, CA".
  12. ^ "PeopleSEE ZSA ZSA'S UNDERWEAR - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  13. ^ Steve Harvey (May 2, 2002). "Los Angeles; ONLY IN L.A.; Bird? Bone? Front Window? Maybe the Perpetrator Suffered a Vertigo Attack". Los Angeles Times.
  14. ^ Seth Mydans (May 6, 2002). "After the riots; Confessions of a Star-Struck Looter". The New York Times.
  15. ^ Connie Cass (May 6, 1992). "LA Police take more heat; Unrest declared at an end". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  16. ^ "An odd haul finds its way to L.A. police out of remorse and fear, people are returning what was taken". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 6, 2002.
  17. ^ John Kelso (May 9, 1992). "Famous lingerie part of the job for priest at Hollywood church". Austin American-Statesmen.
  18. ^ Elaine Viets (May 20, 1992). "Support Is Generous For Bra Museum". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  19. ^ "Frederick's of Hollywood going public | Crain's New York Business".
  20. ^ "Frederick's of Hollywood Group Inc. – Reuters.com – Retrieved August 5, 2009". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  21. ^ "Frederick's of Hollywood Group Completes 'Going Private' Transaction". PR Newswire. May 30, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  22. ^ Brickley, Peg (April 20, 2015). "Frederick's of Hollywood Files for Bankruptcy Protection". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  23. ^ Reed, Sam (April 16, 2015). "Frederick's of Hollywood Is Closing All Stores". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  24. ^ Authentic Brands wants to expand Frederick’s of Hollywood products to new channels
  25. ^ US, FashionNetwork com. "Naked Brand gives promising update on Frederick's of Hollywood". FashionNetwork.com.
  26. ^ "Naked Brand Group Limited Completes Acquisition of Fredericks of Hollywood Global E-Commerce Licensee, FOH Online Corp". Yahoo Finance. November 18, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
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