Seller Story: The Marilyn Lewis Designer Fashion Collection, Los Angeles, CA
“Before her time” is a characterization of Marilyn Lewis that arises frequently when discussing the restaurateur and fashion designer’s life. Lewis, who arrived in Los Angeles from Cleveland with aspirations of modeling, first became known for opening Hamburger Hamlet in 1950 with actor Harry Lewis (whom she eventually married). The eatery on Sunset offered an elevated diner menu and unpretentious seating — relatively unheard of in the city at the time — and quickly became a local institution, beloved by throngs of teenagers and Warren Beatty alike. The Hamlet would go on to become a chain with more than a dozen locations in Los Angeles and the Lewises; fashionable fixtures on the scene.
A longtime fashion aficionado, in 1966, Lewis created her own line, Cardinali, whose pantsuits, ruffles, swishy dresses and jumpsuits evoked a 1960’s career woman, who traded tweed trousers and suit skirts for sultry evening looks come quitting time. Marlo Thomas, whom she outfitted for the sitcom That Girl, became the poster child for the brand, and it garnered fans in LA and beyond; all of whom coveted Cardinali’s reworked classics and showstopping use of texture and color.
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Scott Addis Large-Scale Abstract Landscape Oil Painting
EBTH Columbus - Hilliard
Landscape Oil Painting of Countryside Estate, Late 20th Century
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Vintage and Antique Glass Beaded Sautoir Flapper Necklaces
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Tricia Bass Oil Painting of Dog "Bella's Daisies"
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Veronica Beard Single-Button Blazer
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Replica Antique Style Telephones
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Men's Filson Quilted Jacket, L.L. Bean Fishing Vest, Orvis Rain Jacket, and More
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Kathleen Quinn Oil Painting After Carol Rowan of a Still Life with Tulips, 2003
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Offset Lithograph After Guy Coheleach "Snowy Egret"
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Irma Pfannmoeller Portrait Oil Painting of Happy Chandler
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Chippendale Revival Oak and Lattice-Front Display Cabinet, Early to Mid 20th C
EBTH Columbus - Hilliard
Marc Chagall Color Lithograph Front Cover From "Verve," 1956
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Louis Vuitton Alma Two-Way Handbag in Red Monogram Vernis
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Sterling Diamond Inside-Out Oval Hoop Earrings
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Offset Lithograph After John Butler "Ring True I"
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Sparky Anderson and George Foster Signed Rawlings Official MLB Baseballs
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Illustrated "Every Boy's Book of Hobbies" by Cecil H. Bullivant, Early 20th C.
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Leif Janek Abstract Acrylic Painting, 21st Century
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Still Life Oil Painting of Glass Marbles, Figurines, and Cookies
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Faux Pearl and Rhinestone Ring
Lewis led Cardinali for nine years before shuttering it, pulled in other directions by the family business. By 1987 that included Kate Mantilini, which, until its closure in 2014, was the favored locale for a Hollywood power lunch. Lewis’s later years saw her as a successful Hollywood producer and woman about town, always with an expert eye for fashion inextricably linked to her charisma and ability to command a room.
The collection here is part of the nearly 6,000 pieces of designer fashion that Lewis left in her estate after passing in May, many of which are vintage Cardinali of her own design. One-of-a-kind gems, like a persimmon-hued Cardinali trouser pantsuit, Yohji Yamamoto gloves, fierce magenta and clear Dolce and Gabbana boots, Louis Vuitton shoes, handbags from Chanel, Christian LaCroix, and more celebrate the vibrant life of a true original.