Frederick's of Hollywood
| Subsidiary | |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Founder | Frederick Mellinger |
| Parent | Authentic Brands Group |
| Website | www |
Frederick's of Hollywood was a well-known retailer of women's lingerie in the United States, with stores in many modern shopping malls across the USA. After declaring bankruptcy in 2015, 93 retail stores were closed, the brand was acquired by Authentic Brands Group and it was relaunched as an online-only store.
The business was started by Frederick Mellinger (inventor of the push-up bra) in 1947. Frederick's sold bras, panties, corsets, bedroom slippers, a vast array of hosiery, bridal lingerie, special occasion lingerie, and more. The original flagship store was a landmark on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. In September 2005, after 59 years, the store moved to a larger space a few blocks away, near the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue.
The store previously housed The Lingerie Museum featuring The Celebrity Lingerie Hall of Fame, which exhibited a collection of underwear worn by Hollywood movie stars, such as one of Madonna's pointy-breasted corsets.
Frederick's of Hollywood was the market leader in lingerie until the 1980s, when it was overtaken by Victoria's Secret.
In 1992, Frederick's lingerie museum drew national media attention when it was looted during the Los Angeles riots. One repentant looter delivered a bag of pilfered celebrity lingerie, including Ava Gardner's and a push-up bra once worn by TV actress Katey Sagal, to the pastor at nearby Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Hollywood. 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." 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."
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Wikipedia