Decades acquired the archive of fine women’s clothing from its founder and designer, Marilyn Cardinali Lewis, and planned a retrospective and sale at the store with a percentage of the sales donated to Lewis’ charity of choice, KCET/PBS.
In the late 1960s, Cardinali was featured alongside Norell, James Galanos and Geoffrey Beene in fine stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Nan Duskin. Made from imported tweeds, laces, silks, Lewis’ Cardinali suits, dresses and gowns had kick that caught the eye of style makers of the day such as Marlo Thomas (for “That Girl”), Nancy Reagan and Betsy Bloomingdale, as well as the fashion press. Cardinali was once described by Eugenia Sheppard in the New York Times as “figure defining and enchantingly feminine.”
The items featured above, represent a sampling of the collections' entirety. Back To Main