Shipley & Halmos Resort Lands At Barneys

Hard as it may be to believe that the holidays are right around the corner, it’s even harder to believe that Fall ‘09 clothes are already being supplanted at stores by Resort deliveries. (When was fall? Is it over?) Anyway, believe it. Shoppers starting their yearly snoop for presents and party frocks will find a whole new crop of goods arriving in stores this week and next. Today, for example, the first-ever Shipley & Halmos Resort collection arrives on the racks at Barneys New York. The retailer picked up the capsule collection on the basis of sketches—an unusual business practice, these days—and is selling it exclusively. A cross section of categories is represented, e.g., a twill car coat, a couple of georgette blouses, an oversize cotton shirtdress. But given the season, the Shipley & Halmos item shoppers are most likely to flock to Barneys for is the Bronte dress, a silk crepe number in a black, white, and gray floral print that has “New Year’s” written all over it.

—Maya Singer