Multigenerational dynasties are fascinating fodder, whether historical lineages like the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt or fictional families like in Succession and Game of Thrones. Watching the baton of power handed down from one generation to another keeps the fans glued, because at some point the baton slips. And the course of history is forever altered.
In They All Came to Barneys: A Personal History of the World’s Greatest Store (released in September by Viking), Gene Pressman charts his coming-of-age story as a third-generation scion of Barneys department stores, taking readers on a tour of a fashion empire that not only captured the cultural zeitgeist for a century, but adapted to the vicissitudes of historical hairpin turns. In this New York Times bestseller, Gene drops juicy tidbits about the shopping habits of the Sultan of Brunei, Jack Nicholson, Linda Evangelista, and Madonna. He also spills on how the fashion business works from the inside, who manufactures the highest quality Italian suits (Belvest), and how a licensed Yves Saint Laurent suit might have just been “stitched in Colombia.” Gene’s tome is unapologetic, sobering, and many times humorous.
“Everything in life is timing, and right now I need to get the record straight,” Gene says from his cozy living room in West Palm Beach, the city that’s been his home for the past decade. “There’s a lot more folklore than reality about Barneys.”
Part of that lore is that in 1923, Barney Pressman pawned his wife Bertha’s wedding ring to secure a down payment for a men’s suit shop on Seventh Avenue. The first tagline for Barney’s (the apostrophe was soon dropped) was “No Bunk, No Junk, No Imitations.” When it came to his sartorial acquisitions, Barney had no problem buying suits from bankruptcy stock or the closets of recent widows. His customers were treated to free tailoring, free parking, and a lot of self-promotion.
It was Gene’s dad, Fred, a “silver spooned” child of success, who would bring high fashion—and European sophistication—to Barneys. “Established brands in the domestic market wouldn’t sell to us,” recounts Gene. “So, my father went to Europe, where the designers were thrilled to have a New York audience.” Fred carved out exclusive partnerships with brands like Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent. He also grew the store’s footprint. By the 1960s, the press dubbed Barneys “the biggest men’s store in the world.”
Through the ’70s, the audience continued to grow. “Our DNA was so unusual. It was so vast in terms of who we sold to, from straitlaced Wall Street guys to the biggest gay community, artists, and entertainers,” says Gene. “Eventually, we also sold to young women and high-fashion women. We had them all.”
They also had plenty of talent from abroad, ready to shake up America.
As Fred was bringing Europe to the United States, Gene was graduating from Syracuse University and heading to Los Angeles, intent on becoming a Hollywood director. After working as a gofer on a few films, Gene was discouraged and realized that his best bet at a production gig might be in the family fold. In his book, Gene shares how he started at the bottom, inside Barneys’ massive warehouse, obsessively rearranging the merchandise. Before long, Fred began taking Gene on his buying expeditions.
Barneys’ most famous, exclusive collaboration started when Fred—in the middle of the 1975 Knicks’ playoff game—spotted a “perfect raincoat” in a L’Uomo Vogue editorial. It was made by a barely known Italian designer named Giorgio Armani. Fred tracked down the 41-year-old Armani in his two-room, rinky-dink office and convinced him to sign a 10-year exclusive licensing contract that would catapult both brands and create a lifelong friendship. And Barneys being Barneys, they created the perfect television ad: a handsome Armani sits at his drafting desk as a voice croons, “Even though Barneys may not understand his Italian, they fully understand his fashion.”
Gene quickly proved to also have the Pressman touch, anointing some of fashion’s most influential designers from Tokyo to Antwerp, including Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, Azzedine Alaïa, Issey Miyake, and Dries Van Noten. Gene took Barneys beyond menswear, too, introducing “women’s wear, sportswear, cosmetics, restaurants.” He also launched exclusive cosmetic brands with artists like François Nars from France—one of the most in-demand makeup artists of the time.
“Barneys was part of the social fabric of New York, and nothing’s really replaced that,” says Dirk Standen, fashion journalist and dean of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) School of Fashion. “When I visited the great designer Azzedine Alaïa in Paris, I mentioned that I was friends with Gene. Azzedine’s face lit up, and he started to speak fondly about their times together. Azzedine famously did not suffer fools gladly and how he regarded Gene with such warmth speaks volumes.”
If Armani was Fred’s discovery, then Simon Doonan, the brand’s longtime irreverent window dresser (and eventual creative director) was Gene’s. Barneys’ windows were witty and daring, a mash-up of fashion and cultural commentary. “Barneys’ buyers were serious about having the best edit in the world,” recalls Doonan. “I thought that since the windows are on the sidewalks and everyone sees them, they have to be democratic, playful, and fun.” Doonan created high art that often garnered national and international headlines. Famous figures that Doonan caricatured included Prince, Tammy Faye Bakker, Queen Elizabeth, and Jesse Helms. “Gene wanted Barneys to be like the Bauhaus, the artistic creative collective in Germany,” Doonan continues. “It was a rollercoaster of fabulosity.”
Through the ’60s and ’70s, Barneys moved on an upward trajectory, expanding the men’s store, adding a women’s store, and launching Clio-awarded advertising campaigns. The ’80s saw the opening of new locations within New York City. In the ’90s, Barneys opened stores and restaurants in other U.S. cities.
“It was not only the best shopping experience in New York,” says Jane Holzer, Palm Beach icon and Andy Warhol’s first superstar, “but their restaurant, Fred’s, had the best food ever: healthy, uncomplicated food like salads and matzo ball soup.”
The Barneys’ expansion was fueled by an investment partnership with Isetan, a Japanese retailer, which opened three stores in Japan in the ’90s. But it met economic headwinds of recessions in both the United States and Japan, cost overruns, and disagreements with the Japanese partners. Barneys declared bankruptcy under the Pressmans in 1996, after which the family lost control to a corporate conglomerate.
“We had shot the moon and ended up flying too close to the sun,” writes Gene, channeling Icarus.
Gene’s rollercoaster of fabulosity ends with a final chapter entitled “The Barneys’ Diaspora.” Some of Barneys’ protagonists like Simon Doonan and Tommy Hilfiger now make Palm Beach home. “Gene put my first brand, Jacob Allen, in Barneys,” says Tommy Hilfiger, who remains a close friend. “It was an opportunity that I’ll never forget. He and his father, Fred, were leaders who created the most sought-after fashion retail store group in the world.”
For someone who could have played out his second act anywhere in the world, Gene Pressman chose Palm Beach. “Ten years ago, I rented a condo from a friend of mine,” says Gene. “And after the lease was up, I didn’t want to leave.” What he loves most about the area? “West Palm has evolved into a neighborhood with its own vibe and culture. There is integrity in the small designer and antique shops, a real vibe in restaurants like La Sirena and Blue Door. It’s a great place to raise a family.”
Amazon Prime is currently making a series centered on Barneys—without the family’s input—that published reports indicate will be about the reopened Barneys New York and not the Pressman family. Gene says he’s not opposed to creating his own series. “Over the years, I’ve had TV shows in the works that never materialized. But with this new book, I own the intellectual property. My writing partner and I will write a pilot when the time is right. It’s all about timing.”
Perhaps the former Syracuse film student might finally get his directorial debut. As for the audience? He still has them all.
Story Credits:
Christine’s makeup: Deborah Koepper, Deborah Koepper Beauty, Palm Beach
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