Born: Cardenas, Cuba, 1933
Since Nancy Reagan, one of Adolfo’s biggest fans, has become first lady, the crush to get a front-row seat became an upmanship scene,’ reported American Vogue in 1981. Designer to New York’s socially significant, Adolfo’s first client was Gloria Vanderbilt and his most famous was former first lady, Nancy Reagan, for whom he made a red wool inauguration coat and matching braided toque.
When Adolfo closed his New York salon in April 1993, it signalled the end of an era, which began in 1948 when Adolfo F Sardina arrived in New York from Cuba. Like Halston, Adolfo initially trained as a milliner, before working first at Bergdorf Goodman and then at Emme. In 1967 he established his own ready-to-wear business. The Adolfo look was never experimental, rather a quiet classic style – with shades of Chanel – which enabled the wearer to glide effortlessly through social situations.
