Meet Harriett - the sexy new lingerie line inspired by WWII love letters Fredrick's of Hollywood founder sent to his future wife

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The iconic lingerie company Frederick’s of Hollywood is launching a new luxury brand of intimates and sleepwear called Harriett, in a bid to revamp its image.
Named after the late founder's sweetheart and future wife, Harriett, who he wrote love letters to throughout World War II, the new line will see the brand return to its sexy and risque origins when Frederick Mellinger started the company in 1946.
The collection of upscale silks, satins and laces will pay homage to the luxe black lingerie Mr Mellinger originally designed over letters to his wife, inspired by the Forties era of Hollywood glamour.
Harriett: Frederick¿s of Hollywood is revamping its tired image with a new luxury brand of lingerie named after the founder's wife When Mr Mellinger opened Frederick's Fifth Avenue in New York in 1946, it was a mail-order business selling products that his World War II Army friends told him their girlfriends would like.
He designed brassieres with names like ''Rising Star' and 'Cadillac,' where Tracy McCourt, Frederick’s chief marketing officer, explained too WWD that it all started in France when the designer he was inspiredby French women in their naughty black lingerie.
 
'During that time he was writing love letters to Harriett and describing his design ideas with drawings. He wanted to design lingerie that was more aspirational for American women, Ms McCourt explained.
'Harriett wrote him back and said, "If you can make me look like that, you will become a millionaire."'
Risque new image: Named after the late designer's sweetheart and future wife, Harriett, who he wrote love letters to throughout World War II, the new line will see the brand return to its more sexy origins
Va va voom: The collection of upscale silks, satins and laces will pay homage to the luxe black lingerie Mr Mellinger originally designed over letters to his wife, inspired by the Forties era of Hollywood GlamourAlthough Mr Fredrick has been credited with 'revolutionizing lingerie in America,' by making glamorous lingerie at a time when other designers were making traditional and 'boring' lingerie, some of the brand's fare has appeared dated and tacky in recent years, rather than risque.
Celebrity models for the line included Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson, and profits began to drop.
By using the late designer's own relationship, described as a 'big love story' set in the heart of Hollywood glamour by Ms McCourt, the Harriett collection is set to be the company's entry into 'accessible luxury'.
Forties glamour: The Harriett collection will be expanded to include ready-to-wear and high-end accessories, like handbags for the holiday season, as well as intimates and sleepwear New line, new look: The Harriett collection is set to be the company's entry into 'accessible luxury' Silks and lace: Harriett will range in price from $29 for a thong, to $159 for a corsetRanging in price from $29 for a thong, to $159 for a corset, the line will be sold exclusively online on a new dedicated site called harriett.com, as well as at the Frederick’s of Hollywood flagship in Los Angeles.
Ms McCourt said: ''We took a look at what was going on in the business and looked at opportunities to increase exposure to new customers and reposition the brand’s image to a broader population.'
She added that the Harriett collection will be expanded to include ready-to-wear and high-end accessories including handbags for the holiday season.

I was totally terrified!' Liberty Ross didn't leave the house for seven weeks before storming the catwalk at New York Fashion Week

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With her confident stride and the look that said 'I'm back', Liberty Ross looked nothing short of striking as she sashayed down the catwalk yesterday at New York Fashion Week.
However, beneath the supermodel antics and bold swagger lurked a 'terrified' girl - in fact she had spent seven weeks hiding out at home ahead of the fashion event.
Liberty's return to the spotlight marked her first modelling job following the Kristen Stewart scandal that has threatened to rock her marriage with director Rupert Sanders.
Back to the day job: Liberty Ross models for Alexander Wang Spring 2013 collection at New York Fashion Week
The brunette model was seen strutting down the runway, just 48 hours after the Twilight actress made her first red carpet appearance on Thursday, since news of the affair broke six weeks ago.
Liberty, 33, revealed: 'I was totally terrified.'
 
Speaking to The Cut at the show's after party, she said: 'I hadn't actually been out of my house for sevenweeks so I was really anxious. But it felt amazing.'
The British beauty looked almost extraterrestrial with her razor sharp cheekbones and quirky white windbreaker-meets-pencil skirt creation for the Alexander Wang Spring 2013 collection.
Unusual: Liberty was a vision in white as she wore a complex creation not exactly suited for everyday wear
Meanwhile, the 28-year-old fashion designer gushed about his decision to use Ross in his show, saying he invited her to walk for him 'because I love her and I support her'.
The mother-of-two wore plastic buckles wrapped around each leg just below the knee and fortunately was given chunky heels to sashay down the runway in rather than skinny sky-high stilettos.
Liberty also had an unusual headdress from the tip of her forehead running down her centre-parting.
Highlighting her natural beauty, Ross seemed to go relatively make-up, with just a ghostly foundation.
Earlier this week, Kristen was seen gracing the Toronto Film Festival in Canada to promote her new film On The Road.
Moving on: Kristen Stewart made her first red carpet appearance since the Rupert Sanders scandal on Thursday night at the On The Road premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival
Can they last the distance? Liberty, pictured here at the Snow White And The Huntsman premiere in May, has still not revealed whether she will remain married to RupertShe followed up the appearance with aphotocall yesterday, candidly answering a question about her and estranged boyfriend Robert Pattinson, saying: 'We're going to be fine'.
The actual question was in reference to the twosome promoting The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 side-by-side in November, rather than the current status of their romance.
Liberty has been a little more 'vocal' about her relationship, by stepping out on several occasions minus her wedding ring.
Six weeks ago, pictures emerged of Kristen in the arms of the Snow White And The Huntsman filmmaker. She was seen clearly cheating on long-term lover Pattinson as she kissed Sanders.
Meanwhile, R-Patz is also soldiering on from the drama, having done the television sofa rounds for new David Cronenberg film Cosmopolis - and taking to the stage earlier this week at the MTV VMAs.
No wedding ring: Liberty appears to have permanently removed her band

ITV ratings slump continues as X Factor is watched by 3million fewer viewers than last year... while bosses 'plan to axe failing Red Or Black'

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Overnight viewing figures reveal X Factor pulled a peak of only 7.9 million viewers last night, adding more speculation that the singing competition could be losing its sparkle.
Since the show's return to screens four weeks ago, it has been struggling to entice the large audience numbers it has grown accustomed to over the last eight series.
Saturday night's show, which featuredSpice Girl Geri Halliwell, pulled in 8.2m viewers from 8.10pm, including the broadcast an hour later on ITV1 +1 - the lowest ratings for the 2012 series.
Ratings winner: Geri Halliwell helped X Factor claw back some of their lost viewers on Saturday night And last night’s show was down 400,000 on last week’s programme, despite Cowell flying in from Los Angeles to personally oversee the editing.
After a summer of Team GB and Paralympic GB, X Factor bosses are finding it hard to get viewers to change their allegiance to Team Tulisa, Gary, Louis or Nicole.
 
Lastweek, the third episode managed just 8.6 million viewers across ITV and ITV 1+.
Too much: Viewers are losing interest in fame hungry singers, preferring the dedication of athletes
Ratings winner: Rihanna and Jay Z joined Coldplay to perform at the Olympics Closing CeremonyThe figures are a stark contrast to four episodes in to the competition this time last year when the show averaged 11.1 million viewers –and the series peaked at 12.5 million.
Viewing figures for last night's showare also thought to taken a dive due to people tuning in to the pomp and fanfare of the Paralympics Closing Ceremony.
Figures reveal that the elaborate event, screened on Channel 4, pulled an impressive 5.9 million viewers.
The incredible spectacular that marked the end of a blissful summer of sport featured a fifteen-song live performance from Coldplay, and segments when they were joined by global megastar Rihanna and rapper Jay-Z.
Spectacular ending: The X Factor couldn't compete with the Olympics Closing Ceremony
Real heroes: Paralympians soak up the Closing Ceremony atmosphere inside the StadiumDubbed The Festival of the Flame, it also featured a Mad Max inspired skit where industrial, over-styled cars, modified and welded in Britain, roared in to the Olympic Stadium, thrilling audiences.
After six weeks of watching British athletes winning medals and breaking records, the UK was glued to the closing ceremony.
The Olympics and Paralympics have captured the imaginations and hearts of the entire country, who have discovered a perhaps previously unknown love for competitive sport.
X Factor producers have previously blamed the dip in ratings on warm weather, and people choosing to watch the show on catch up services.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that ITV bosses are considering axing another of their big Saturday night shows, Red Or Black, after the second series failed to draw in viewers.
The gambling show only attracted just over four million on viewers on Saturday night to watch carpenter Graham Fletcher win £1.5 million, the biggest cash prize in UK TV history and ITV bosses said to be ready to pull the plug.
Get us out of here! Ant and Dec are also said to be keen to ditch their roles presenting Red Or Black after the ITV show failed to draw in viewersAccording to reports, presenters Ant and Dec are also planning to ditch their roles presenting the programme to concentrate  on their other shows I'm A Celebrity... Get Me out of Here! and Saturday Night Takeaway.
A source told The Sun newspaper: 'Ant and Dec have a huge, loyal fanbase but if a format doesn't interest people then there is only so much they can do.
'They have done two series and it still hasn't worked. They're not jumping up and down about it, but it's highly unlikely they'll make more.
'Their focus is on I'm A Celebrity... and Saturday Night Takeaway.'

Obama on the back foot as he is forced to defend failures of past four years... but President still finds time to attack 'out of touch' Romney

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Barack Obama was grilled repeatedly on his failures as President on Thursday night as he took part in a candidate forum.
Addressing a large Latino television audience, the president said his 'biggest failure' was an inability to win an overhaul of the immigration system.
However he still found time to take a swipe at rival Mitt Romney, saying the Republican candidate hasn’t 'gotten around a lot' if he believes that 47 per cent of Americans consider themselves victims and entitled to government help.
Sore points: Obama admitted where he had failed as President during a TV forum on Thursday, hosted by Univision news anchors Jorge Ramos, left, and Maria Elena Salinas at the University of MiamiIn suggesting his GOP rival was out of touch, Obama was reacting to secretly taped remarks by Romney in which the Republican declared that the 47 per cent of voters who support Obama represent Americans who don’t pay income taxes and 'who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them'.
Obama said Americans pay payroll taxes, gas taxes and state and sales taxes. He noted that those who don’t pay income taxes include workers who don’t make enough money to qualify, older Americans and students.
 
'When you express an attitude that half the country considers itself victims, that somehow they want to be dependent on government, my thinking is maybe you haven’t gotten around a lot,' Obama said during an interview with Spanish language channel Univision.
The president later referenced the issue at a Tampa fundraiser, telling supporters he didn’t want his daughters and other young people to think 'that somehow half of the country is locked out' of pursuing success.
Taking the blame: Obama admitted he had not kept his promise on immigration reform but said that it wasn't for lack of trying'I want everybody to be successful. Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, able or disabled, I want everybody to have a chance to succeed,' Obama said.
The forum earlier in the day on the campus of the University of Miami gave Obama a rebuttal of sorts. Romney spoke on Wednesday at the Univision forum, where he said his campaign was about 'the 100 per cent in America'.
Obama, who ran on a message of changing the partisan tone in Washington, said he had come to the conclusion that 'you can’t change Washington from the inside. You can only change it from the outside'.
He went on to say that what he had accomplished since taking office was due to mobilizing 'the American people to speak out'.
'So something that I’d really like toconcentrate on in my second term is being in a much more constant conversation with the American people so that they can put pressure on Congress to help move some of these issues forward,' he said.
All smiles: Obama reassured the largely Latino audience that he was still the right man for the top job in WashingtonRomney seized on the remarks to say that Obama had surrendered in the face of a broken Washington and major challenges.
'Hesaid he can’t change Washington from inside. He can only change it fromoutside,' Romney told supporters in Sarasota, Florida.
'I can change Washington. I will change Washington. We’ll get the job done from the inside - Republicans and Democrats will come together. He can’t do it. His slogan was "Yes, we can." His slogan now is "No, I can’t."' This is time for a new president.'
The president faced tough questions on why he hadn’t accomplished comprehensive immigration reform, an important issue for Hispanic voters.
Jorge Ramos, one of the moderators, put it bluntly: 'You promised that and a promise is a promise and with all due respect, you didn’t keep that promise.'
Obama said he accepted responsibility but that he faced an economy 'on the verge of collapse' in his first year and blamed Republicans for abandoning support for comprehensive immigration reform.
What will Michelle say? Obama pigged out on french fries during a campaign stop at OMG! Burgers in Miami on Thursday
Sneaking one: The First Lady has spent much of her time in the White House campaigning against junk food like french fries
He said there was 'the thinking that the president is somebody who is all-powerful and can get everything done'.
'What I confess I did not expect, and so I’m happy to take responsibility for being naive here, is that Republicans who had previously supported comprehensive immigration reform, my opponent in 2008 who had been a champion of it and who attended these meetings, suddenly would walk away,' he said.
Asked later in the interview to name his biggest failure, Obama cited a lack of comprehensive immigration reform, but added: 'It’s not for a lack of trying or desire.'
Obama’s Tampa fundraiser was attended by former Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Ronde Barber of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and included a performance by Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder.
Vedder broke out a Hawaiian-made ukulele and joked: 'It’s got a little birth certificate right in there,' a reference to discredited claims that Obama was not born in the United States.

The candidate of Yes We Can has become the President of No I Can't': Romney says if Obama can't change Washington from the inside then 'he's going outside!'

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Mitt Romney has seized on President Barack Obama's statement that he 'can't change Washington from the inside by telling him: 'He can only change it from outside? Well, we're going to give him a chance in November. He's going outside!'
Speaking at a rally in Sarasota, Florida, Romney reacted swiftly to Obama's comment in a Univision television forum: 'The most important lesson I’ve learned is that you can’t change Washington from the inside. You can only change it from the outside.'
Rallying cry: Mitt Romney, speaking in Sarasota, Florida, on Thursday said he can change Washington from the insideRomney said this amounted to Obama throwing in 'the white flag of surrender'.
The Republican nominee said this meant that Obama's 2008 slogan had been altered: 'His slogan was "Yes we can". His slogan now is "No I can't". It's time for a new president.'
 
Declaring that the candidate of change in 2008 was now the candidate of a status quo that had brought in economic disaster, Romney said it was he who was now taking on the mantle of change.
'I can change Washington. I will change Washington and we'll get the job done from the inside. He can't do it.'
campaign trail: Mr Romney was in the crucial state of Florida on Thursday where he addressed crowds at the Museum of Art in Sarasota Signal of intent: Mr Romney jumped on the President's comments with a saying he would oust Mr Obama from the White House

Costumes and models from Disney's Babes in Toyland...

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Odd I know to be celebrating Christmas in August, but these classic costumes from the 1961 Disney festive musical Babes in Toyland were photographed recently on display at the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives.
Original costumes from Babes in Toyland on displayThis was the second movie version based on Victor Berbert's popular 1903 operetta (the first by Laurel & Hardy in 1934), but the first film to be produced in Technicolor.

Tom Piper costume worn by Tommy Sands in Babes of ToylandThese festive outfits worn by the fiancés 'Tom Piper' and 'Mary Contrary' in the movie, were designed by Bill Thomas.

Mary Contrary costume worn by Annette Funicello in Babes of ToylandAlso on display alongside the costumes were these original toy models used in the making of the family Disney movie, which were photographed at The Reagan Library in Simi Valley on July 17, 2012.

Original production models from Babes in ToylandIf you like Christmas themed movies, you should also check out these original costumes, props and masks from The Grinch on display.

Babes in Toyland movie posterBuy the movie: Babes in Toyland

Costume and props from National Treasure on display...

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As it's a national holiday weekend here in the U.S. I thought it only appropriate to share this outfit and film props from Disney's National Treasure movies.
Nicolas Cage National Treasure movie costume and propsIn the historical adventure Nicholas Cage stars as 'Benjamin Franklin Gates', a historian and amateur cryptologist, hunting a lost treasure hidden by the Founding Fathers of America after the Revolutionary War.

You can also take a closer look at Nicolas Cage's National Treasure costume designed by Judianna Makovsky here at Hollywood Movie Costumes and Props from Disney's D23 Expo in August 2011.

National Treasure movie poster
These photographs of Nicolas Cage's outfit and props, like a replica Liberty Bell and Charlotte Bell, were taken at the Treasure of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit at The Reagan Library on July 17, 2012.
Original movie props from the National Treasure moviesAlso included in the display were the 'Parkington Lane' crypt cover, a framed Gates family photo, notebooks and diaries, medallions, desks featured in the films and even a brick with the Masonic symbol on it.

If you're a fan of Nic Cage, be sure to check out these original movie costumes from The Sorcerer's Apprentice and motorcycles from Ghost Rider 2 on display.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets movie posterBuy the movies: National Treasure [Blu-ray + DVD]
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets [Blu-ray]