Felina | 1953

“Im Winter trägt man lieber lange Büstenformer” (In winter, women prefer long bust shapers), so that no “Polster-Röllchen” (padded rolls) show at the waist. In 1953 the ideal figure had a narrow waist, and underwear did the work: a longline bra in cotton satin with lace for DM 11.90 and a high-waisted girdle with spiral bones and a zip for DM 26.50.

Felina began in 1885, when Eugen J. Herbst opened a corset workshop in Bad Rappenau. Around 1890 it moved to Mannheim, where it is still based, and in 1915 the name Felina was registered as a trademark for brassieres. The Herbst family was Jewish: in 1936, under Nazi pressure, they had to sell the company far below its value and leave Germany.

In this ad we can see the suspenders hanging from the girdle. Stockings were still held up this way, long before tights became everyday wear.

In the 1950s Felina grew fast, opening a second factory in Kaiserslautern in 1955. Today it still designs its lingerie in Mannheim and, since 2017, has belonged to the European Lingerie Group.

Text in the ad

Felina
Im Winter trägt man lieber lange Büstenformer. Sie lassen „Polster-Röllchen“ in der Taille gar nicht in Erscheinung treten.
Modell 0.397 C „Corfu“ aus Baumwoll-Atlas mit Ia. Baumwoll-Webspitze DM 11.90
Dazu den hochtaillierten Zweizug-Gummischlüpfer aus Baumwoll-Gummitüll deutscher Produktion mit ägyptischer Baumwolle. Das Gewebe ist porös, formstark, strapazierfähig, einlaufsicher und schmiegt sich dem Körper weicher an. Modell 9.102 mit Spiralen und Reißverschluß DM 26.50
Farbiger Prospekt durch Felina G.m.b.H. · Abt. 47 · Mannheim

Translation:
Felina
In winter, women prefer long bust shapers. They keep “padded rolls” at the waist from showing at all.
Model 0.397 C “Corfu” in cotton satin with first-class woven cotton lace, DM 11.90
With it, the high-waisted two-way stretch girdle in cotton elastic tulle, made in Germany from Egyptian cotton. The fabric is breathable, firm, hard-wearing, shrink-proof and hugs the body more softly. Model 9.102 with spiral bones and zip, DM 26.50
Colour brochure from Felina G.m.b.H. · Dept. 47 · Mannheim

Brand

Felina

Year

1953

Decade

1950s

Country

Germany

Medium

Magazine

Themes

Fashion