Barshai, the New York-based atelier committed to meticulous craftsmanship and narrative-driven design, is pleased to unveil the latest collection for Spring / Summer 2025 titled, “Pennies from Heaven,” which debuted at New York Fashion Week on September 10th, 2024. The presentation took place within storied walls of St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery, an iconic venue that complements the collection’s exploration of heritage and modernity.
“Pennies from Heaven” draws its name and inspiration from the classic 1930s song made famous by Billie Holiday. Expanding on the narrative concept of last season, Spring/Summer ‘25 takes the story of an abandoned gilded age home and explores not the building, but those who inhabited its dilapidated walls. The narrative comes alive for Spring / Summer ‘25 as an exploration of the fascinating, chimeric life of Consuelo Vanderbilt, America’s most famous “Dollar Princess.” Through this visual lens, Barshai reflects on the transition from Victorian elegance to Art Deco modernity, capturing the essence of the “new woman”, a 1920’s term to describe the shift in social conventions around female behavior from domestic to independent.
Barshai
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The collection features 12 looks, including a distinctive “hair” dress that marks the culmination of last season’s swirling “hair” bra. Key design elements include the extensive use of bias cuts and rosettes, a motif that blooms throughout the collection and is a direct reference to Consuelo’s 18th birthday during which she received a single American rose from her ill-fated first love. Grouped into three acts, Barshai’s Spring / Summer ‘25 tells the story of Consuelo’s life from childhood into her later years. The first four looks, cut in shades of white and navy, symbolize her life under her mother’s control, culminating in a crying bridal look. In act two, her early adulthood is celebrated through tailoring and a color palette of “burnt umber,” “twentieth-century teal” and “sage green.” Her later years are celebrated in act three through a surreal abstraction of pennies, embroidered onto corsets and integrated through print.
“For Spring / Summer 2025, I decided to embrace the concept of unexpected good fortune, but with the understanding that even when it rains good news, they are only pennies from heaven,” says Erik Barshai, founder and creative director of Barshai. “This season, we focused on ‘flow,’ emphasizing soft wovens and the fluidity of movement, while continuing to push the boundaries of couture tailoring.”
The presentation at St. Mark Church in-the-Bowery offered a 360-degree view of this narrative, with a cast of models bringing Consuelo’s story to life. Set against a backdrop of velvet-covered platforms, patina-laden chairs, and 20th-century pottery, the models reenacted pivotal moments from Consuelo’s life, offering the audience an immersive, cinematic experience.
Barshai is pleased to invite you to embark on a journey of sartorial exploration with every creation, where luxury meets artistry and tradition intersects with modernity.
ABOUT BARSHAI:
A graduate of the Pratt Institute, Barshai’s academic journey served as a catalyst for his burgeoning passion for design. Barshai began his career fine tuning his skills at some of the leading American fashion houses, starting with internships at Eckhaus Latta and Creatures of the Wind followed by full-time design roles at Calvin Klein Accessories (under Raf Simons), Jill Stuart, Alice and Olivia, and Aliette. Within each role, Barshai’s expertise and eye for detail flourished, and in 2021 the time was right to embark on his own vision. Barshai represents a culmination of a lifelong journey dedicated to redefining the boundaries of luxury fashion. All garments are made by hand by the Barshai team, celebrating a centuries-old tradition of craftsmanship. At the core of the Barshai aesthetic lies a profound reverence for the heritage of couture. Barshai’s design ethos mirrors a renaissance of small eccentricities and precision, echoing the sentiments of couture luminaries like Charles James. Like Charles James, a personal hero of Barshai, the clothes are developed 360 on a form, embracing asymmetrical seams that don’t follow traditional rules of pattern making.
With a steadfast focus on preserving the sanctity of handmade artistry, Barshai aspires to captivate a global audience, while remaining true to its artisanal roots. Every garment embodies a labor of love, meticulously crafted in the heart of New York City by the hands of Barshai and his team.
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With love,
FWO