Dreamgirl

Patricia Fischer founded Dreamgirl, an American maker of novelty lingerie and later costumes, in 1978. Trading as Dreamgirl International, it sells babydolls, chemises, bustiers, bridal pieces and an extended plus-size range, and it has grown into a major Halloween costume business with three costume labels. This encyclopedia records the company as based in Los Angeles.

Founded in 1978, not 1992

Earlier accounts dated Dreamgirl to 1992. The company's own pages give 1978 and name its founder as Patricia Fischer, whom it describes as a trailblazer and lingerie connoisseur. That puts the brand's start in the years when Frederick's of Hollywood was still America's best-known mail-order name for sexy lingerie. Dreamgirl's market was never the everyday bra. It was the special-occasion piece bought for a night, a honeymoon or a party.

The company describes itself as one of the fastest-growing lingerie manufacturers in the world. That is its own claim, and no sales figures are published to test it.

Researchers should note the web addresses. The old dreamgirlintl.com domain now forwards to dreamgirlofficial.com, which is where the company's current catalog and about page live. Older references to dreamgirl.com may not lead anywhere useful.

The babydoll and the bustier

The core lingerie range is built on the classic forms of fantasy lingerie. The babydoll is a short, loose nightie, usually sheer, gathered under the bust and flaring to the hip. The chemise is its straighter, slip-like cousin. The bustier is the structured option, a boned top that shapes the waist and lifts the bust, related to the corset bra and the longline bra.

Around those sit bodysuits, garter sets, bridal lingerie and a more explicit line for the fetish end of the market. The fabrics are the cheaper relatives of luxury lingerie materials: stretch mesh, lace trims and satin. Prices are set for impulse and gift buying rather than for longevity.

Sizes to 5X

Plus sizing is a long-standing part of the catalog. Standard women's styles run from S to XL, and the plus range runs from 1X to 5X. Novelty lingerie is a category where extended sizes have often been missing, and Dreamgirl treats them as a full line rather than a few token styles. The company states its purpose in those terms, as being for every kind of customer.

Costumes take over

Over time the business tilted toward dress-up. Costume lingerie, the sexy nurse or the French maid built on a lingerie base, was a natural bridge between the two trades, and from there the company moved into full Halloween costumes.

Dreamgirl now runs three costume labels: Dreamgirl Costumes, StarlineLA Costumes and Party King Costumes. The range covers women, men and children, with plus sizes and a large list of accessories and wigs. For a lingerie company, children's Halloween costumes are a long way from the original catalog, but the manufacturing skills overlap: stretch fabrics, trims, short runs and a calendar that peaks at predictable times of year.

That calendar shapes the whole business. Valentine's Day and the wedding season drive lingerie sales; October drives costumes. A company with both has something to sell in most months of the year.

Where Dreamgirl sits

In this encyclopedia Dreamgirl belongs with the American novelty and costume-lingerie companies, a trade that sells mostly outside the department-store lingerie floor. Its closest peers here are Leg Avenue, which works the same mix of hosiery, lingerie and costumes, and the older Frederick's of Hollywood. Dreamgirl's catalog today still opens with lingerie, and still ends, in the weeks before October, with racks of costumes.

Last updated October 7, 2026