At Scarlett Gasque, we take what we love from vintage lingerie – the glamour, the fit, the attention to detail – and bring it into now. Think spiral-boned corsets and silk loungewear that bring classic pin-up styling into the 21st Century.
But lingerie is about more than design – it’s also about the feeling you get when you wear it. And vintage lingerie ads do a great job at capturing that feeling. Let’s take a look at some of our favorite campaigns from the past, and see how they help to shape the way we do things at Scarlett Gasque today.
The Maidenform Bra “I Dreamed” Campaign
Founded in 1922, Maidenform changed the shape of women’s lingerie, literally! They’re best known for challenging the restrictive flat-chested silhouette of the 1920s by designing bras that embraced curves rather than hid them. By the mid-20th century, Maidenform had become a household name.
Its most famous campaign, “I Dreamed…”, ran from 1949 to 1970 and featured women in public or surreal scenarios (like on stage, in outer space or at work) wearing a Maidenform bra as part of an outfit. The tagline read: “I dreamed I [did something unexpected] in my Maidenform bra.” It was provocative and completely different from anything else seen at the time.
The sentiment of the campaign was that confidence starts underneath, and that women can do anything they put their minds to. At Scarlett Gasque, we design with that same energy. Our corsets and lingerie are about form, yes, but also about showing up in the world exactly how you want to. Because women can do anything in Scarlett Gasque!
The Vanity Fair “Our Little Beauty” Ad
Vanity Fair launched in 1913 and was shaping American culture by the 1940s. They were known for using high-quality materials like silk, rayon, and later nylon, and they were one of the first brands to make synthetic fabrics feel luxurious. Their designs leaned toward refinement rather than seduction.
One of their standout ads – the “Our Little Beauty” ad – showed off a “moonbeam-sheer” nylon nightdress finished with velvet ribbons, pleats and lace. The image was soft and simple, showing a model with her face partially covered and the dress catching the light just enough to show its detail.
The text was playful, describing the dress as something elegant but still wearable: “Looks too chic to be the retiring type but it’s a nightdress nonetheless.” And that’s the exact kind of mood we aim for with our silk loungewear range. Our pajamas are comfortable and luxurious, and they work as occasionwear too!
Prestige Ads
Prestige was an Australian lingerie and hoisery brand that gained popularity during the mid 20th Century, advertising in publications like The Australian Women’s Weekly. While they were less globally dominant than other brands, Prestige carved out a space in the Australian market by creating elegant underwear that worked for everyone.
Their ads used illustration instead of photography, with simple line drawings of women in slips and bras, and standing in natural poses. There was no heavy glamour or overt seduction, but the elegance came through in the proportions and clean lines.
For us, this is a reminder that less really can be more, especially when it comes to campaign visuals. A clear frame, a clean silhouette, and confidence in your product can say more than a thousand words.
The Sears Catalog
Before online shopping and fast fashion, there was the Sears Catalog, one of the most important fashion distribution tools of the 20th Century. First printed in 1887, it started out as a mail-order book for rural America, but by the mid-1900s it was everywhere, landing in millions of homes and shaping what people wanted from their clothes.
Sears made lovely lingerie accessible to everyone. Whether you lived in New York or Nebraska, you could flip through the pages and find affordable corsets, slips and bras that reflected the styles of the moment. They really changed the game!
As social norms around women’s bodies shifted, Sears also helped America move away from rigid, restrictive underwear toward more flexible, comfortable pieces like soft-cup bras and comfort-driven designs.
The imagery in their catalog was clean and natural, showing how the pieces actually fit. And at Scarlett Gasque, we do the same with our product imagery. We want women to browse our website and be able to picture themselves wearing Scarlett Gasque, whoever or wherever they are.
Frederick’s of Hollywood Ads
Frederick’s of Hollywood was founded in 1947 and made a name for itself by leaning into sex appeal. While most brands tiptoed around sexuality, Frederick’s ran full speed toward it, offering push-up bras, deep plunge bustiers and even crotchless panties! They stood out because they didn’t pretend to be modest.
Their ads were often hand-drawn and highly stylised, with exaggerated hourglass figures and bold body language. The language they used was cheeky and flirtatious, and the tone suggested lingerie was a way to transform yourself.
We don’t use their style exactly, but the influence is clear. Scarlett Gasque takes Frederick’s sense of drama and reframes it for now: unapologetically bold and sexy, but grounded in intention and fit. We want women to feel empowered by the lingeire they wear, and especially in Scarlett Gasque..
Charmode Women’s Intimate Apparel Ads
Charmode was a popular lingerie brand in the US from the 1940s through the 1970s made by Sears. While not as flashy as other brands, Charmode’s USP was its affordable, attractive undergarments that worked well under clothes and could be worn everyday.
Their ads used hand-drawn illustrations and focused on features like support, fit and feel. They weren’t selling a fantasy – they were offering women underwear that looked good, and were functional too!
This is something we really relate to at Scarlett Gasque. Our corsets are made to move, stretch and fit a range of shapes and sizes. Our lingerie sets work just as well under clothes as they do as the main feature. And our silk loungewear pieces are comfortable and beautiful.
Scarlett Gasque Campaigns Today
Everything we do at Scarlett Gasque is inspired by the lingerie brands that came before us. And we bring that vintage charm into our branding too!
Our product shots contain lots of visual references to mid-century ads, such as carefully lit sets, expressive posing, and a strong sense of composition. We also borrow from the tone of that era, keeping things confident, playful, and always directed at the woman wearing the piece instead of the person looking at her.
Even our design sketches nod to the illustrated ads we’ve always loved.
Shop our range of vintage-inspired lingerie, corsets and loungewear now, and feel empowered in Scarlett Gasque.
