Zachary Leon Solomon, who through a long career in fashion and retail presided over such high-profile brands as Perry Ellis, Adrienne Vittadini and Ellen Tracy, died Aug. 15.

Solomon passed away peacefully of natural causes in Sarasota, Fla., at the age of 91, according to his son, Michael Solomon.

“Zach was a storyteller at heart, who could speak about a garment, a fashion trend, or a positive sales report with unbridled enthusiasm and a Proustian attention to detail,” said Michael Solomon. “Zach often said he couldn’t wait to go to work each day because he so loved what he did. ‘Not good, not great…Fantastic’ was his irresistible, signature expression to describe the things he loved in life, of which there seemed an inexhaustible supply.”

Others described Solomon as having a generous, infectious personality that filled the room, notably with his large frame and distinctive full head of white hair. They also said he was passionate about many aspects of his life, particularly his family, friends, business, sports and playing bridge.

“Zach’s personality was as big as he was. He loved life, football, friends and family to the fullest,” said his second wife, Sue Phillips, founder and chief executive officer of Scenterprises Inc.

The son of an immigrant tailor and homemaker, Solomon’s life epitomized the American Dream. He was born in the Bronx, and grew up poor in the Belle Harbor section of Queens. “Having never eaten in a restaurant until he was 17, he spent the rest of his life making up for lost time,” said his son.

Before finding his professional way, Solomon parked cars at Lundy’s, the famous but now-defunct seafood restaurant in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. In his early 20s, Solomon left a job at his brother-in-law’s mattress factory in California, returned to New York, and applied to the buyers training program at Abraham & Straus, the former department store chain that was based in Brooklyn before consolidating into Macy’s in 1994. Naively clad in a T-shirt and jeans, Solomon was nevertheless accepted into the program because he received the highest score at the time on the Wonderlic test, which has been widely used by employers to evaluate job candidates.

Over the course of decades Solomon rose through the retail ranks to become president of the Emporium department store chain, which was based in San Francisco, and later, vice chairman of the May Department Stores Co., a conglomerate of regional department stores that included Emporium, which was also taken over by Macy’s (then called Federated) in 2005. Solomon was president and chief executive officer of Associated Merchandising Corp. (AMC), which was a New York-based cooperative of non-competing stores that shared product development programs and selling reports.

From retailing, Solomon transitioned to leadership roles in the designer world. In 1998, he became president and CEO of Adrienne Vittadini, a brand known for its quality knitwear, around when the company was acquired amid tough business conditions, and Vittadini left the business.

“Women want to buy clothes they either can go to work in or to the country club, or be able to run an errand and still be able to wear it in the evening,” he told WWD upon joining Vittadini. “For this reason they love knits. They’re lightweight. It’s more casual in feeling yet it can still be very sophisticated, so it fits their lifestyle better.”

Earlier, Solomon served as president of Ellen Tracy, once considered a leading collection priced under designer labels; executive vice president of Manhattan Industries and president and CEO of its Perry Ellis division; CEO of Baby Togs, which included BT Kids, Baby Togs and Liz Claiborne Kids divisions, and president and chief operating officer of Finity Apparel Group, a better and contemporary sportswear manufacturer. Late in his career, he founded a men’s and boy’s firm with the designer Paul La Fontaine.

Michael Gould, former chairman and CEO of Bloomingdale’s, met Solomon 54 years ago when he was the group manager of the home store at Abraham & Straus in Babylon, N.Y., reporting to Solomon, then the assistant store manager there. They remained friends ever since.

“The best way to describe Zach is as the ultimate eternal optimist,” said Gould. “He had a zest for living. He enjoyed life so much and made everyone around him smile and laugh.”

Industry veteran Neal Fox, as executive vice president of the former I. Magnin luxury store in San Francisco, knew Solomon, who was then president of the Emporium department store. “I always had the feeling that Zach was a true merchant, and extremely bright at what he did. He was also fun to be around. You wanted to hang out with him,” said Fox.

“Zach was a dear friend. I kept in touch with him regularly,” said Sharon Wax, a former AMC senior vice president involved in developing imports, who reported to Solomon. “He was so curious and driven to search for what was next. He was also a tremendous mentor, always advocating for me, and motivating me to look at the business from several angles, to be constantly questioning.

“When we traveled, he encouraged me to take in the culture wherever we were,” said Wax. “Once at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the lines for the show we wanted to see were so long, we couldn’t get in, but Zach took us around the block and led us through the exit, and we saw the exhibit. He encouraged a love of the arts.”

“Zach was a dynamic, powerful leader who cared about his team. He really believed in growing and developing his people,” recalled Bill Baer, former human resources executive at AMC who worked closely with Solomon, before later working at Bloomingdale’s. “He was a great merchant with a strong point of view who led from the front. He was so passionate about so many things, even his San Francisco 49ers,” the professional football team. “We all felt obligated to check the football scores before our Monday morning management committee meetings.”

“Zachary was a dear man,” said Vittadini. “He joined us when we sold the company and I was under contract to complete my terms. I really was quite upset at the time. There was a lot of trauma, but I was so happy to see Zachary several years after I finished my career in fashion and started in architecture building high-end homes, I saw him in Florida. He was a wonderful man.”

“My father grew up loving sports,” said Michael Solomon, adding that his dad was most passionate following the Brooklyn Dodgers, as well as the San Francisco 49ers. “He could be brought to tears by the simple utterance of his childhood hero’s name, Jackie Robinson,” said Michael. He also loved music, regularly attending the New York Philharmonic and always grateful to hear his two favorite pieces on the radio: Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 and “Send in the Clowns.”

Solomon endowed a scholarship at Brooklyn College, his alma mater, thankful for his free education there. He became a Ruby Life Master as a bridge player in retirement, and never stopped playing pinochle with his Brooklyn college fraternity brothers.

In addition to his son Michael, Solomon is survived by his three other children, Lisa “Leah” Solomon, Andrew Solomon, and Romy Solomon; seven grandchildren; his daughter-in-law Sarah Solomon; son-in-law Santiago Alcala; his first wife Eve Gerson; his second wife Sue Phillips, and his current partner, Julie Thompson. Details on a memorial service will be announced at a later date.