RIP HOLLY ADAM, MARCH 7, 1959 – APRIL 1, 2024

Elizabeth Hollister Adam, known to all as Holly, died this morning at age 65 in New Canaan CT, surrounded by loving family and friends. She endured a brave fight with liver disease for an extended time, all while living each moment with an irrepressible zest for life.

Holly was born March 7, 1959, the younger child of the late Donald G. Adam of Pittsburgh, PA, English professor at Chatham College and the late Nancy Tuttle Adam, poet and professional photographer of Nantucket, MA. Holly and her older brother, Church-of-England parish priest Father A. K. M. Adam of Abingdon-on-Thames, England, grew up in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh.

Holly turned an early interest in fashion into a rewarding career. While still in high school, she began taking buying trips to New York City with the owner of a Pittsburgh boutique where she had an after-school job. She worked summers during high school and college selling clothing on Nantucket Island. At Hobart-William Smith College, she studied English and built a strong community of friends. Upon graduating, an opportunity in the editorial department at Vogue Magazine took her to New York City. Her New York career included work at Polo Ralph Lauren and at Bloomingdale’s, where she was the men’s and children’s fashion director before establishing her own clothing and home textiles collection, Holly Adam Home. In 1998, she founded Cashmere Inc in Greenwich, Connecticut where she garnered a loyal clientele and a unique vision for “what-to-wear-when.” She became an expert in cashmere, traveling frequently to Scotland and Italy for design and production collaborations.

Always connected to the New York fashion world, Holly co-founded the professional association MensWearNetwork. She maintained this association through her subsequent work in home consulting and project management and a return to fashion retail in Nantucket. Her Shop-Chop-Cook business back in Connecticut gave her the opportunity to focus on her long-time passion for food and party planning.

Holly loved and was loved by a wide circle of family and friends. Whenever a friend in need had a problem, Holly was always the first to help. She was the first to organize a meet-up at a local Hobart lacrosse game or a spontaneous lunch at her favorite restaurant, Table 104 in Stamford, where she knew the names and life stories of every waiter, chef, and dishwasher. Clearly, Holly was all about making personal connections, a skill she was born with. She was a devoted daughter to her parents and relatives, always putting their needs above her own.

Holly is survived by her long-time friend James Aganost, her loving brother A.K.M. Adam and sister-in-law, Margaret Bamforth Adam. She is also survived by her uncle Richard Adam of Albuquerque, NM, her aunt Harriet Tuttle Noyes (Robert), of Arlington, MA, a close network of doting cousins/nieces/nephews and countless adoring friends.

MR’s editor-in-chief, Karen Alberg, is one of those friends. “Life was always a celebration with Holly! She made every day special: by sharing home-baked treats or surprise gifts, by remembering birthdays—not just mine but my children’s and grandchildren’s, by simple acts of kindness above and beyond the call of friendship, like offering to visit my mom in Memory Care while I was out of town. She had her own unique sense of style which I always described as quirky with class. In fact, everything about Holly was quirky, classy, and joyful. How I will miss her!”

From fellow fashionista and MWN co-founder Kim Cihlar, “I loved Holly so much. She was a lovely friend, a pillar and cheerleader of the menswear industry since her days at Bloomie’s with Kal. Our years gallivanting about Florence, Milan and Paris during menswear designer shows seem so distant, like a fantasy of how to live one’s life, but she always infused our travel adventures with literary underscoring. Her life had a poetic cadence to it. I guess that side came from her father’s work and inspiration. Always an instigator, it was Holly who kickstarted the MensWearNetwork; we lovingly referred to her as “The Glue.” I will treasure my memories of Holly and her supportive ways of showing up with just the right insight and props through all these years —bandaids for when heels made blisters that bled during the menswear shows, a travel comb for cashmere-bearing lint pills, a sweet photo gift of fashionistas with their dogs, appropriately housed in a pink bone-shaped frame.”

“Holly was a shining example of the best of our industry,” says Tom Mastronardi, a Paul Stuart veteran and clothing consultant. “She was Brilliant, vivacious, a truly gifted merchant, the most steadfast of friends, and a sure and certain success to any enterprise smart enough—and fortunate enough—to leverage her formidable, inexhaustible talents. And, by the gods, how she lit up a room! To say that I will miss her is simply inadequate.”

Recalls award-winning designer John Bartlett, “Holly was one of the first people to really support my brand and she did so fearlessly and with so much humor. My buying appointments with her and Liz Dixon were always the most fun of market week and we developed a strong friendship over the years. Holly was a true merchant with such a strong and clear vision. I will miss her greatly.”

Says menswear journalist and MFA director Tom Julian, “I was fortunate to have known Holly—personally and professionally—for many decades. We had many parallel lives since we were both born and raised in Pittsburgh. How ironic that we would both have industry roles that would allow us to work with notable retailers, C-suite leaders, designers, editors/media partners, and trade associations for so many years. We were also fortunate to have evolved our careers at a time when we both were able to learn from legends — for her it was Kal; for me, it was Chip Tolbert. One of the coveted experiences though was traveling to trade shows and fashion weeks in Italy (both Florence and Milan) as well as U.S. cities like Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Holly’s passion for the menswear community maintained after she left NYC; in 2011, along with a group of notables like Bobby Taylor, John Fowler, Kim Cihlar, and Mary Ellen Barone, we created the MensWearNetwork as a way to keep our industry connected in person (rather than just online). These groups would continue to meet until COVID hit in 2020.
Our most recent exchanges were rich, meaningful, and reflective since I’d returned to our hometown in 2021. Holly and I would compare notes or social media posts that included her love for the city as well as its leaders — Larrimor’s, Mr. Rogers, and Chatham. She had shared that she really wanted to come back for a fun reunion and to enjoy dinner on Mt. Washington at a restaurant overlooking the city. We never got to do that, but I promise to make a trek there this summer to toast Holly’s spirit, style, and sense of humor!”

From another MWN co-founder Mary Ellen Barone, “Holly was so generous when she moved and downsized: she gave so many beloved personal items to friends. I was the happy recipient of her mother’s beautiful red silk print lightweight jacket. It’s marvelous, and will always remind me of Holly. Our last MensWearNetwork event was in January 2020, just prior to the Covid lockdown. It was a great night: everyone was so happy to see each other and catch up. Good thing because Covid left nothing unchanged and we haven’t seen each other as a group since then. Holly was our driving force, as she always was with everything! So many came to our gatherings partly to connect with new people but mostly to see her. She loved the camaraderie, the stories, and the laughs. She was bright, always ready with quick, inside repartee, and unequivocally in love with our menswear industry. Holly, you are loved by so many.”

A celebration of Holly’s Life is being planned for a future date. For those so inclined, remember her with a thoughtful deed.