1990s Caché Print Ad

The vintage Roberto Cavalli you’ve been drooling over at Happy Isles may have made it to the States courtesy of Caché.

The quintessential mall brand, most famous for its contribution to ‘90s and early 2000s prom nights, is far more influential than we give it credit for.

Malls today may reek of semi-defunct chain stores and dystopian mini versions of popular food chains – a shell sucked dry by the online marketplace. Tired, tacky, cheap.

But once upon a time, when rhinestone velour tracksuits and low-rise jeans reigned supreme, malls were the pinnacle of shopping. Brought to us by a booming tabloid culture, all our favorite celebrities and socialites could be seen roaming beneath atrium ceilings, laden with massive shopping bags, sporting oversized sunglasses, Orange Julius in hand.

If you were that girl or aspired to be, you were shopping at mall stores like The Limited, Bebe, Arden B, or Caché. I’d venture a guess that if you’re reading this, there’s a chance you still have your Caché prom dress hanging in the back of your closet or packed away in a box of keepsakes at your parent’s house. That’s partly because it’s sentimental, I’m sure, but it’s also because it’s a beautiful dress. 

You probably dreamt of the day you could don your own fabulously adult gown after seeing your older sister off to her winter formal. 

Even if you weren’t “of age” when Caché was in its heyday, perhaps you followed your glitz-loving mom through the racks, running your hands across a glorious array of colorful silk and intricate beading. You probably dreamt of the day you could don your own fabulously adult gown after seeing your older sister off to her winter formal. 

Caché was the closest to luxury the mall had to offer: high-quality materials and craftsmanship at an aspirational but relatively accessible price point. 

Caché print ad from Vogue 1993

Now, Caché has a complicated reputation among a generation that once wore it and lusted over it. And a new reputation among those just discovering it on Depop. Where can we place this iconic fashion landmark in the pantheon of vintage fashion? 

For those who identify with Caché as a fixture of their youth, it’s difficult to separate memory from merit. 

Despite our hesitation to name it among fashion’s greats, Caché isn’t just a relic of mall fashion’s golden age. The brand stands as one of the most quietly significant influences on contemporary American designer fashion. If you love ‘90s and 2000s fashion, you really have to accept the mall store as a legitimate and valuable influence on the aesthetic of the era. 

A Caché Ad from 2006

Caché was founded in 1975 by Marilyn Rubinson, a Brooklyn native turned affluent Miami housewife (self-described) with more of a desire to create a social club than run a retail operation. In the early days of the Miami flagship store, the boutique emphasized service, styling, and, most importantly – socializing.

Each day at noon, the boutique would put out a cheese board and wine. “Everyone knew they should pop over to Caché,” said Marilyn. “I wanted something very intimate, very clubby.”

Each outfit was more than a look; it was marketing in motion, critically shaping the perception of what kind of woman wore Caché.

Her clients included Joan Collins, Linda Evans, and Whitney Houston to boot. 

Whether with an associate or surrounded by peers, Marylin stressed that customers should always be “with someone that was interested in making her look the best she possibly could.” 

To Marilyn, the brand’s image hinged on customers wearing Caché the right way. Each outfit was more than a look; it was marketing in motion, critically shaping the perception of what kind of woman wore Caché. So when you left the store, you knew how to do your hair and what shoes to wear with your dress. 

In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, there was growing fascination in the U.S. with European luxury, especially fashion houses in France and Italy. Not yet popular in the States, Rubinson seized the opportunity to offer her customers something they couldn’t buy anywhere else.

Caché’s own line echoed hallmarks of Italian design, too, defined by vibrant prints, saturated colors, and heavy embellishment – more is more. 

Alongside their namesake label, Caché was one of the first to import Italian designers like Roberto Cavalli, Thierry Mugler, Gianni Versace, and Giorgio Armani.

In addition to positioning Caché among the designers’ largest wholesale customers in the Western Hemisphere, Marilyn scouted talent, recruiting unknown Italian designers to work in-house where they would have access to high-end fabrics and production. 

Caché’s own line echoed hallmarks of Italian design, too, defined by vibrant prints, saturated colors, and heavy embellishment – more is more. 

1990s Caché Ad

Iconic Italian designers of the time championed an irreverent take on luxury and an unapologetic celebration of the female form, with plunging necklines, high slits, cutouts, and curve-hugging silhouettes - the design DNA Caché soon became known for. 

It’s no surprise that the brand hit its stride in the late ‘90s and early aughts. In an era saturated by celebrity-driven media, tabloid spectacle, and postfeminist notions of empowerment, clothing was symbolic capital in the performance of desirability and status. 

A Caché Ad from Vogue - 1990

As mass media collapsed the distance between private life and public persona, Italian designers took over the red carpet and pages of our favorite gossip rags with revealing silhouettes and unsubtle displays of status. 

Caché made sure everyday consumers could simulate the aesthetics of celebrity at a more accessible price point than its counterparts. 

And while Caché “cashed out” in 2015, at its peak, the brand generated $279 million in annual sales, with over 300 stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. In addition to dresses and eventwear, Caché began rolling out sportswear and more casual options around 2008, which diluted the brand and strained its finances. 

Caché's relaunched the brand in 2014 with a new flagship store in Las Vegas.

“Whether it’s day-to-day, special-occasion, or gowns, there’s no boutique authority in the mall other than us,” said Arnold Cohen, their newly appointed chief marketing officer, to Women's Wear Daily when he took over in 2014. “Malls have plenty of sportswear, (and) jeans…” he went on. “We are unique.” 

The irony is that at one point, his assessment was absolutely correct; Caché was the place to find a dress that made you look and feel like you belonged on the red carpet alongside your favorite celebrities. We didn’t need it to be anything else, but by the time they realized that it was too late for the brand to regain its footing. 

Inside the flagship boutique.

Though its star faded, Caché once stood as both a leader and a reflection of how international design reshaped fashion and culture in the U.S. at the turn of the century. It deserves a place on the rack beside the greats, not for its pedigree, but for its impact. 

Caché represents a gateway to high fashion. And if nothing else, when we find it, it makes us nostalgic for the adulthood we imagined as girls: full of rhinestones, rebellion, and a HOT date to prom.