LIFESTYLES | SAKS JANDEL
THE END OF A FASHION ERA Family-owned women’s clothing store Saks Jandel shuts its doors after 128 years. BY ERICA MOODY
Isaac Mizrahi flanked by Tracy Bernstein and Capricia Marshall at a charity fashion event at Saks Jandel
Model Dakota Oliphant walks the runway at annual Saks Jandel Holiday Brunch and Runway Show
Ernest Marx and Peter Marx in 1993
W P H OTOS FR O M WA S H I N GTO N L I F E AR C H I V E S
hen the president of the United States is on the line, you’d better take the call. That is, unless you’re at Saks Jandel getting a fitting. Fourth generation owner Peter Marx chuckles as he recalls the secretary of state (who shall remain nameless) who put her appointment at Saks above a chat with the commander in chief.“Tell him I’ll call him back,” she said. “I’m at Saks Jandel.” Such stories are not uncommon at the shop on Wisconsin Avenue that’s dressed Washington’s most important women (first ladies, Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, and more) since 1888. Now, after 128 years, Marx announced earlier this fall that the shop so integral to women’s attire in Washington will be closing its doors for good. “These aren’t ladies who lunch,” says Marx, of his clients. “These are substantial women and bright and intelligent women, so the fact that we were integral to their lives was really
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our history.” Part of that legacy are the charity events, including fashion shows, he hosted over the years. Marx estimates that 80 percent of them were focused on women’s health and social services. And who can forget the fashion? Many will remember Marx’s father, Ernest Marx, for bringing Yves Saint Laurent and other major European designers to the United States. It wasn’t unusual to spot the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Vera Wang, Valentino and Isaac Mizrahi at the shop, chatting with Ernest about their designs. “He was able to identify talent and commit to it earlier than others. He really had a great eye,” Marx says of his father, with whom he worked for 30 years until Ernest’s death seven years ago. “He had a 50-year relationship with Saint Laurent and Valentino. He was there from the very beginning of their careers.” Unlike other shops, Saks Jandel avoided trends,
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Peter Marx with a Cynthia Steele Vance (center) and a Valentino-clad model at a 2014 in-store fashion event (Photo by Tony Powell)
preferring to stick with classic designs that would withstand the test of time.“We were relentless in quality and fashion,” Marx recalls.“We have been elegant and sophisticated and stayed above the ups and downs of trendy fashion.” Marx’s father also instilled in him the importance of ethics when running a business, especially treating those who work there fairly. “Our employees don’t come for a couple of years, they come for decades,” he says. Marx is currently working on placing them in new positions. Where they go is where Washington women will shop. Marx has realized that the time has come to focus on his other passions, including real estate endeavors. And although all good things must come to an end, there is a silver lining this December. Stop by Saks Jandel in the next few weeks to get 50-80 percent off of everything in the store. Saks Jandel, 5510 Wisconsin Ave, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
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