Hey, Upper East Siders: Barneys And Hourglass Are Partnering On A Pop-Up In NYC

This morning, an announcement spread like wildfire in every fashionable New Yorker’s group chat: Barneys, the iconic department store/cultural touchstone, is back, thanks to a new partnership with Hourglass Cosmetics.

Say the word “Barneys” out loud to a certain set of New Yorkers, and it’s like you’ve brought up a close, long-lost friend. “I miss it,” people sigh. “The good ol’ days!” others exclaim. To anyone remotely interested in fashion (or just anyone who watched Gossip Girl circa 2007 onwards) Barneys was a department store that wasn’t just a place to shop for the latest designer goods — it was a landmark, an experience, a cultural institution. Step into Barneys and you’d discover a new designer you hadn’t heard of yet (it launched brands like Comme des Garçons and Christian Louboutin in the U.S.), become best friends with a store associate telling you about a new beauty brand named Hourglass or Byredo you just had to try, and leave with at least one signature black-and-white Barneys shopping bag in tow. While there were other luxury department stores — cue Blair Waldorf saying she only shopped at the “three B’s: Barneys, Bendels and Bergdorfs” — Barneys’ whimsical, youth-forward approach and curation made it feel special.

So when Barneys’ brick and mortar store closed, New Yorkers mourned. But in full circle moment, beauty brand Hourglass announced this morning it was partnering with Barneys to bring it back for a limited time pop-up in New York City. “Hourglass got its start at Barneys 20 years ago, as our very first retailer, catapulting our brand into culture,” Carisa Janes, founder and president of Hourglass, tells NYLON exclusively. “It's a big project, but for me, honestly, it's a career highlight. It’s like the Burning Man of beauty and fashion — all these people are coming together [in a way] that doesn't feel competitive. It feels like community.”

What To Expect At The Hourglass And Barneys New York Pop-Up

The new Hourglass and Barneys pop-up experience was dreamed up by two former Barneys powerhouses: Barneys creative director Simon Doonan and Barneys fashion director Julie Gilhart. People will be able to shop a highly-curated selection of items from brands that embody New York City’s electric spirit, all hand-selected by Gilhart: Phillip Lim 3.1, Thom Browne, Marc Jacobs, Khaite, Proenza Schouler, Telfar, and AREA are just a few.

But it wouldn’t be a Barneys without the experience — there’s where Doonan, who was responsible for all of Barneys’s iconic window displays, comes in. “I think the Burning Man's a great analogy because it's audacious and unconventional, which is a big part of the Barneys philosophy,” he says, noting that attendees can expect a “transcendental, psychedelic experience” they wouldn’t get at any other pop-up. Programming wise, there will be DJs, panels, and more. At an exclusive press preview, Doonan also revealed to NYLON that one of these unexpected touches is a dressing room designed like — wait for it — a Porta-Potty. “At Barneys, the whole ethos was like, ‘We've got to be different from everybody else,’” explains Doonan. “Our three-word brand for years was ‘taste, luxury, humor.’ So, in a way, a Porta-Potty just says it all.”

If you suddenly get tired in the middle of your shopping/selfie spree, you’ll be able to get a caffeine fix at the iconic Fred’s, which will be offering coffees and light snacks to anyone passing through. The center of the pop-up will feature a beauty bar with Hourglasss products on display and available to shop, including two limited-edition Hourglass x Barneys products — the cult-favorite Ambient Lighting Palette and an exclusive Unlocked Satin Crème Lipstick Duo — with special- edition packaging designed by Barneys book illustrator, Na Kim. And for the fragrance lovers, Hourglass is celebrating its 20th anniversary by launching its first-ever fragrance, XX, which features notes of honeysuckle, orange blossom and sandalwood. And of course, there will be plenty of Barneys x Hourglass merch, from hats to totes to toilet paper (!).

Porta-Potty dressing rooms, a Burning Man comparison, and a slew of NYC’s buzziest designers — New York Fashion Week just got a lot more interesting.

The Barneys x Hourglass pop-up will open to the public at 14 Prince Street from September 5th to October 11th.