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Marilyn Lewis Clothing

American, 1929-2017

Marilyn Lewis, the late American designer behind Cardinali and the classic Marlo Thomas sitcom continues to influence fashion today.

Despite Lewis’s relatively short career, lasting just nine years — the Ohio native gave up fashion in 1977 to focus on her marriage to actor Harry L. Lewis — she made quite an impact on a certain coterie of L.A. insiders. Improbably, Lewis met many of them through the legendary Sunset Boulevard restaurant Hamburger Hamlet, which she cofounded with her husband in 1950.

“Betsy Bloomingdale and Dyan Cannon knew Marilyn because she owned the hot Hamburger Hamlet,” says vintage-clothing dealer Ricky Serbin. Her patrons “were attracted to Cardinali because they knew style and quality,” he adds, pointing out that many of them also bought couture. More customers followed, including First Lady Nancy Reagan and singers Eydie Gormé and Dionne Warwick. Actress Marlo Thomas personally signed up Lewis to design the costumes for her hit television sitcom, That Girl, which ran from 1966 to ’71.

Fashion’s current nostalgia for the 1970s is partly what turned San Francisco’s Serbin on to Lewis, a self-taught creative who, as a teenager made fashion sketches and aspired to be a model. When she moved to the West Coast from her hometown of Cleveland, Lewis began designing under the name Cardinali, the label she founded in the late 1960s. Her collection was sold through Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and other retailers.

Serbin wasn’t well acquainted with Lewis — one of a handful of so-called California couturiers based in Los Angeles at the time — but he recognized the “now-ness” of her designs.

Although Cardinali was an American fashion house, Lewis had a European flair that her customers gravitated toward, and many of her fabrics were imported from the region.

According to Harold Koda, fashion scholar and former curator in charge at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the name Cardinali — Lewis’s homage to her Italian grandmother — suggests an “affinity for Italian designers. The French knew how to do sexy, but the Italians knew how to do sensual.”

Lewis — who couldn’t sew but created everything from black silk jersey blouses and wool winter hats to tweed suit skirts and colorful floral day dresses — understood, as did her fellow designer Yves Saint Laurent, that women of the time wanted to feel sexy without looking gauche. 

“Good designers of that era caught on to providing comfort at the same time as showing curves and skin,” says Marci Rosenberg Samuels, a Houston-based collector who deals under the name Mrs. Couture and wears both Cardinali and YSL. “Cardinali did that, Saint Laurent did that, and so did Stephen Burrows and Giorgio di Sant' Angelo in their own ways.”

And the easy ’70s sensibility that Lewis and so many others championed? It is alive and well, as evidenced by the runway creations of designers Alessandro Michele and Pierpaolo Piccioli and the number of celebrities lining up to wear them, from musicians Florence Welch and Rihanna to actress Tilda Swinton.

Find vintage Marilyn Lewis evening dresses, suits and other clothing for sale on 1stDibs.

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Designer: Marilyn Lewis
Cardinali Vintage Couture 1970s Silk Jacket with Marbled Bobble Buttons
Cardinali Vintage Couture 1970s Silk Jacket with Marbled Bobble Buttons

Cardinali Vintage Couture 1970s Silk Jacket with Marbled Bobble Buttons

By Cardinali, Marilyn Lewis

Located in Sparks, NV

Stunning vintage Cardinali silk jacket with full balloon sleeves, bound buttonholes, ruched trim and marbled bobble buttons. Absolutely incredible construction with hand stitched cou...

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1970s American Marilyn Lewis Clothing

1970s Cardinali Silk Brocade Dress by Marilyn Lewis, Size 2/4
1970s Cardinali Silk Brocade Dress by Marilyn Lewis, Size 2/4

1970s Cardinali Silk Brocade Dress by Marilyn Lewis, Size 2/4

By Marilyn Lewis, Cardinali

Located in Beverly Hills, CA

Beautiful 1970 Cardinali silk brocade dress. 3/4 sleeve. Bust: 32"/ Waist: 30"/ Hip:34" / length: 52" Fit petite size 2/4 Dress lined in silk

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1960s American Marilyn Lewis Clothing

1970s CARDINALI Green and pink circle sequin gown
1970s CARDINALI Green and pink circle sequin gown

1970s CARDINALI Green and pink circle sequin gown

By Marilyn Lewis, Cardinali

Located in Beverly Hills, CA

FOR DESIGN INSPIRATION or STUDY only. The fabric is fatigued in left shoulder area with various small tears and small holes. see last picture. size: 6. Bust: 36"/ Waist: 32"/ Length: 56" Marylin Lewis started her clothing line late 60s, using the most luxurious and fines fabrics from italy.

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1960s American Marilyn Lewis Clothing

Rare 1960s Cardinali Hunter Green Wool Handkerchief Hem Vintage 60s Mini Skirt
Rare 1960s Cardinali Hunter Green Wool Handkerchief Hem Vintage 60s Mini Skirt

Rare 1960s Cardinali Hunter Green Wool Handkerchief Hem Vintage 60s Mini Skirt

By Cardinali, Marilyn Lewis

Located in San Diego, CA

Rare late 1960s CARDINALI hunter / forest green lightweight wool handkerchief hem mini skirt! This beauty comes straight from Marilyn Lewis' estate (the designer and founder of Cardi...

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1960s Italian Marilyn Lewis Clothing

Cardinali Fall 1969 Original Sample Chiffon Bra & Sheer Vintage 60s Tunic Dress
Cardinali Fall 1969 Original Sample Chiffon Bra & Sheer Vintage 60s Tunic Dress

Cardinali Fall 1969 Original Sample Chiffon Bra & Sheer Vintage 60s Tunic Dress

By Marilyn Lewis, Cardinali

Located in San Diego, CA

Directly from Marilyn Lewis' estate! Lewis was the founder / designer for Cardinali. She was a bored housewife with two children in the 1960s, and was a fashion icon with an enormou...

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1970s Italian Marilyn Lewis Clothing

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From the closet full of deadstock Cardinali comes this exceptional textured wool shift dress with silk lining. The dress does not have the original tags attached but looks completely unworn. Designed by Marilyn Lewis, the Cardinali line was only around for 9 years and has become coveted by vintage dealers and collectors worldwide. Her line was worn by Marlo Thomas in the hit TV show "That Girl" and was seen on many high profile and celebrity socialites. Lewis used only imported fabrics from Italy and her pieces were some of the most expensive apparel being produced at the time. Her first collection sold at Saks 5th Ave from between $300- $2400 which translates to about $2000- $16,000 today. It is easy to see why in person as the construction is absolutely phenomenal. There is no stitch out...

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Marilyn Lewis clothing for sale on 1stDibs.

Find an extraordinary range of authentic Marilyn Lewis clothing available on 1stDibs. Customers who are interested in this designer might also find the work of Geoffrey Been Boutique, Daniel Werle, and Morgane Le Fay appealing. On 1stDibs, find haute couture, vintage and designer Marilyn Lewis clothing from top boutiques around the world. Marilyn Lewis clothing prices can differ depending upon time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $795 and tops out at $2,350, while the average work can sell for $1,312.