Carol Slesinger, who built Larrimor’s women’s business, dies at 87

PITTSBURGH — Carol Meyerson Slesinger, who built and led the women’s business at Larrimor’s and helped to introduce major luxury fashion brands including Hermes, Loro Piana and Ermenegildo Zegna to Pittsburgh, has died at age 87. Her passing, on June 4 in Bethesda, Maryland, was announced by her daughter on social media on June 14.

Carol Slesinger and her late husband Carl expanded the upscale clothing retailer and family business that was favored by male and female corporate executives as well as celebrities. As more women entered the workforce in the 1970s and increasingly took leadership positions, she saw the need to provide the wardrobe for the office, business functions and evening events. Together, the Slesingers combined business leadership with civic engagement, supporting charitable initiatives and fostering enduring relationships within the Pittsburgh community.

Carl Slesinger died at age 83 in early 2022. The couple had been married for 61 years and worked together much of that time at Larrimor’s. The business had been founded in 1939 by Harry Slesinger, Carl Slesinger’s father, and Larry Morris. Morris was bought out in the late 1940s. Larrimor’s, originally based in the Union Trust Building, moved to its current location at One PNC Plaza in 2010.