They All Came to Barneys: A Personal History of the World's Greatest Store

by Gene Pressman

From the streets of New York to the runways of Paris, fashion powerbroker Gene Pressman’s Why Didn’t I Think of That? captures the rise and fall, the secrets and scandals, of his family’s multimillion fashion retail empire

This is the story of Barneys—but not just of the store on 17th Street. It’s also the story of the glitz and grit of New York, and the fashion diaspora from Europe to America to Asia, and the family that was in the middle of it all. Told with the inimitable Gene Pressman’s razor-sharp wit and iconic style, Why Didn’t I Think of That? takes us on an insider’s journey through the history of his family business as he grows into his own as a scion of retail. He gives us the secrets to Barneys’ success—and its failure—in a riotous, scandal-filled adventure perfect for the dreamers and entrepeneurs in all of us.

When the eldest Pressman, Barney, opened his eponymous store of suits in 1923, he couldn’t have imagined that his son and grandsons would transform it into a global empire that revolutionized fashion retail into what we know it as today. Through back-room handshake deals with designers, nights out at New York clubs, rock ’n’ roll concerts, and world tours of fashion’s most exclusive catwalks, the Pressmans came to dress an entire generation of celebrities, models, CEOs, sultans, and people around the world. Take a front-row seat to the rise of some of the biggest names in fashion—Armani, Alaïa, Wintour, Meisel—by the store that made it all happen, even as family disagreements, cost overruns, and scandals began to tear it apart from the inside…

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Fashion, History, Business, Biography, Biography Memoir

400 pages, Hardcover

Published September 2, 2025

Reviews

[Wendy Austin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've never disliked an author this much. By chapter 5, I was actively rooting for Barney's to fail.

[Michelle Yau · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you ever wanted to read how a nepo baby white male “ran” and failed a business… here you go! With very infantile writing and no introspection too!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was an interesting book on the retail world of NYC, the hubris and fake humble bragging of the author got on my nerves. I started skimming through a lot of it. But did manage to catch that he called someone who opened up the Chestnut Hill, MA store for them a Bostoner. Who the hell writes Bostoner?! It's Bostonian.

[William Wheeler · Rating 2 out of 5]

not a good writer and egotistical

Made what could have been a good marketing story boring. Constantly patting himself on the back. Came off as a shallow person.

[Joni Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun read that is written badly. There are plenty of holes in Gene Pressman’s telling of his family’s creation and destruction of Barney’s - the store that went from menswear deals to the elite store on Madison to bankruptcy. It brings back very clearly the shifts in fashion, the ‘rag-trade in NYC, how new designers were introduced, how brick and mortar stores in Manhattan competed, as well as the losses brought on by AIDS that cratered a generation of designers and artists. There was not enough detail about the financial management/mismanagement and the marketing strategies and their impact. Obsessed with work, Gene is also obsessed with taking a lot of the credit. Drugs were prevalent but the reader won’t learn how/if/when he stopped using. He is on his second marriage, but there is not a lot of information about that part of his life (it’s pretty clear that it didn’t hold his focus) and his child/children only get a slight mention. Barney’s was unique and special. I remember ‘daring’ to enter, knowing I could only afford a cup of coffee at the cafe. Gene never questioned his good fortune and apparently has not suffered much from Barney’s departure from the retail scene.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way that Pressman walks through the rise and fall of Barneys is really incredibly done. His explanation of Barneys as a family company and how the industry has evolved is so insightful. I love that there was just enough personal touch to really show how it was a family business. He took shots at other businesses in a professional way, but also shows how much he loved the company his family owned.

[CatReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gene Pressman is the grandson of Barney Pressman, who founded the now-defunct department store Barneys New York; Pressman's 2025 book They All Came to Barneys describes the history and eventual collapse of the chain. Of note, the author spent much of his professional career working at Barneys after brief attempts at becoming a Hollywood star didn't work out.

This is one of those books where a third party investigative journalist would have done a much more even-handed job, a la books like The Kingdom of Prep: The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew―The Epic Tale of American Fashion Style and Retail Evolution or Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon. About half of this book is about Barneys, told from a very "we did everything right, but we were screwed over" way, and the other half of of the book is the younger Pressman reminiscing about New York in the 60s, 70s, and 80s and bragging about all the screwing he personally did.

My statistics:
Book 353 for 2025
Book 2279 cumulatively

[Debra Lapierre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don’t like to “rate” memoirs, because it’s hard to rate someone’s lived experience. But from the reader experience, this comes off as a bit arrogant and subversive. The author gives a timeline of the story of Barney’s, which is fascinating in and id itself, but doesn’t view his actions as responsible for the end of the brand, even after outlining the actions that ended the brand. Overall, I’m really glad I read it. It just left a bit hanging.

[Win Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this made me feel like Fiona Apple when she said spending one night with Quinten Tarantino made her never want to touch cocaine again

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the early beginnings with his grandfather to the destruction of Barneys, New York, when working with private equity, something that all big names began to face in the 90s and 2000s. What I love the most was the stories of how they helped up-and-coming design designers because that’s what I remember Barneys New York to be. I yearned to shop there as a college student. Barney’s was the epitome of cool, elegance and high fashion. It was like an art gallery and a fashion museum. The inside stories and details of what went down behind the scenes was just amazing. Thank you for sharing it with all of us. I am a person who has saved my black Barneys shopping bags during the closeout sale. I bought the last few artistic Christmas ornaments, nylon branded Barneys NY backpacks, and branded leather wallets. This book was so timely as Giorgio Armani passed away today. It’s an end of an era.

[Devin McIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. Author has a massive ego which ends up ultimately destroying his family’s business. I don’t think he ever realized he was the problem so it interesting to read how he justifies the failure to himself

[Andi Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite… I get it: the author slept with a lot of women and took drugs.

[Gingerholli · Rating 3 out of 5]

How not to run a business

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in 2005 I visited a museum I didn't know called the Rubin, on 17th Street near Seventh Avenue. I walked in and marveled at Himalayan art but my eye was immediately drawn to a spiral staircase that brought back a memory. I felt I'd been there before. And I had. It was Barneys!! Pressman's book also contained head slapping memories, reading like a documentary with its short punchy paragraphs. There's lots of name dropping - Shaft working on the sales floor, Jimmy Cagney, and a long long list more as you'd expect. Pressman's upbringing was a typical rich suburban kid's except he knew far more than most about fashion. My favorite parts were his attention to Barneys advertising. I liked him noting the "crime against humanity" of Trump's razing of Bonwit Teller. And the characterization of Italian guys as "the most extravagant peacocks the world has ever known". And he does not spare himself his own failings and the kinds of excesses you'd expect from the rich, though I had to put the book, and my lunch, back down when the narrative veered too close to the kinds of things that could surface in the Epstein papers. Sadly Barneys resurrected the glory of the department store right on the eve of the etailing that killed physical department stores. Pressman fills his book with fun facts about people and things most of us only know from reading in the paper, such as the length of today's runway shows (8-10 minutes). And I like how he'd stick a comment in parentheses: "(Remember:...") followed by something I'd forgotten until then.

[Christy Duggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story/history.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agree with many of the others who read the book. Not as enjoyable or engaging as a number of other books I’ve read about New York retail magic. Namely When Women Ran Fifth Avenue. Likely because it was written as a first person perspective.

[Nancy Fawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lived in NYC in the eighties and worked in fashion and I remember how trendsetting Barneys was at the time. I couldn’t afford to buy much there but I would go and look at the clothes and soak up the atmosphere. And, the Christmas windows by Simon Doonan were unbelievably creative. No one does windows like that anymore; it’s a real shame.

The book got a little tedious but it was interesting to learn more about the details of the store’s rise and fall. I wish it was still around; especially the warehouse sale. :)

[Raquel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barneys may have closed in 2020, but the famed NYC retailer lives on.

Last fall, a Barneys pop-up — featuring 40 brands and many of Barneys’ beloved alumni, including its former window dresser Simon Doonan — came alive in Soho during Fashion Week. Two TV series about the store are currently in the works, and, now, a juicy new memoir, “They All Came to Barneys: A Personal History of the World’s Greatest Store” (Viking, out Tuesday), chronicles the spectacular rise and fall of the storied institution.

“We had shot the moon, and ended up flying too close to the sun,” writes author Gene Pressman, whose grandfather founded the store as a men’s discounter in 1923.

Read the rest of my story about the book for The New York Post: https://nypost.com/2025/09/02/lifesty...

This is very fun and juicy look at NYC in the 1970s, '80s and '90s, and a tantalizing glimpse at the now-all-but-vanished American fashion and retail industry. Is it too long? Probably. Could it have focused more on Barneys and less on the author's personal life? Yes. Is Gene Pressman self-aggrandizing? Definitely. But I found his pumped-up swagger charming — and his characterizations and anecdotes were colorful and entertaining. I enjoyed this!

[Emily Rosca · Rating 2 out of 5]

this story would have fared much better had it been researched and written by a third party. while interesting, i thought gene pressman came across as immensely arrogant and used so much of the space to relive his sex- and drug-induced glory days of the ‘70s and ‘80s. surprisingly little time is spent on the “downfall” of the pressman era of barney’s — and even less (read: about two paragraphs) on the actual end in 2020, some 25 years after they sold the company. about 5/6 of the book is dedicated to pressman’s self-described rose-colored-glasses-view of the store(s). it was an empire and one i wish i could have experienced, and its grandeur and influence certainly shines in his story-telling, but it’s too one-sided.

two quotes to remember:

“some bean-counter ran the numbers and couldn’t figure out why we had a little hat display on the ground floor. that was prime real estate, and no one wore hats anymore. with the slash of a pencil, they got rid of it. but sales all around that section started to slack in and sag. it wasn’t about selling hats, it was about the charm of the experience, the old-worldliness of it.”

“you don’t have to be all things to all people. you just have to be the best thing for your people.”

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily my favorite memoir of this year! It's more than a personal memoir and an in depth look into the historic New York City department store Barneys fashion and retail decisions and drama. They All Came to Barneys is an enjoyable read by the founder's grandson, Gene Pressman. You will probably enjoy it best if you came of age in the 1970s and 1980s since those are the years that the author focuses on his personal involvement with the business.

If you did a cursory search into the Pressman family you will know that middle brother Bob is estranged from the author, Gene and their two sisters. So you might initially think this is some sort of public reckoning to air differences. This is not that sort of book and one doesn't have to wade through mud slinging here.

The men's and women's clothing style descriptions and the designers and celebrity involvement with Barneys bring back fond memories of different era of shopping. It makes one muse that retail has devolved with considerably less sensory experiences shopping online. It's too bad Barneys is defunct but this was a fun look backwards.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun reading right after Grayson carters memoir - seeing nyc again from the 60s on through the lens of someone who saw and knew everything - gene pressman. Next up is Keith McNallys memoir which in my mind I’m thinking of reading them in tandem as the trifecta. We have print, fashion, and then food. All these men hung out in the same famous circles.

What’s interesting about pressman’s memoir is learning so much about the fashion industry. Barney’s really was so fascinating as a business model and I loved reading all the mad men esque ad and copy they were creating to always be in the forefront of selling clothes.

I could never tell if pressman was a reliable narrator or not. Sometimes I felt no way he’d lie about this when he said x, y, z but then sometimes I’d think no way this is true. I also feel so unfeminist, unwoke, unsomething in saying this but it is refreshing to read a liberal man of a certain ages thoughts and ideas and be like yeah he really doesn’t care or know better. Pressman was also such a huge partier and i thought those attention to details were very interesting. His college buddies opened studio 54. He dressed Andy Warhol. It’s just cool.

[Grace Peisker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm…. Historically educational and definitely an important read for someone in fashion, but also gives “you had to be there” vibes. I wasn’t. That’s why I’m reading .. your book…..
Gene is basically an unreliable narrator due to his arrogance/gusto/ambiguity in describing so many events. Makes it very clear you’re only reading one side of the story in the very messy downfall of the department store, which comes in seemingly last minute and without much warning in the pages. All the sudden they’re in hundreds of million dollars of debt? Something doesn’t add up.
He seemingly follows the tech ideology of “move fast and break things”. Yes Barney’s was great but I can’t imagine the kind of stress and devil wears Prada bullshit that must have occurred in achieving it.
BUT it does do an amazing job of showing how Barney’s truly was an institution that majorly impacted fashion. This is clearly not a black and white story and I wish it had been told with more nuance and self awareness.

[Gwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giorgio Armani died today - September 4, 2025. The day I finished this illuminating book on the history of Barneys of New York. We have Barneys to thank for introducing America to Armanj and many other innovative designers.

As a former New Yorker who occasionally shopped the Madison store and knows what Barneys meant to New York, I was most enlightened with learning Barney’s history. What a ride the family had starting Barney’s as a men’s discount suit store and evolving to the premium luxury experience.

Would have liked more insight into the financial mismanagement but I’m certain there are case studies. Do wish there were pictures of the events and parties held at the store.

Barneys was unique and there will never be another given how retail has changed with e-commerce.

[Kate Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times this is not the most well written book and it tends to be a little repetitive. However if you work in fashion this is a must read!!

I wish for nothing more than to be in nyc when Barney’s was around. I already know I would be there weekly scanning every floor. I appreciated the store and family history in this book that really gave context to the success.
My biggest takeaway is that fashion is emotional!! Customers want to feel connected to clothes and appreciate stores that steer them in new directions. The Barney’s customer was eclectic and I think that take is definitely missing in today’s stores.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barneys started out as a discount store before morphing into a men’s suit store and then a mecca for fashion. Its story is dishy and the arrogant and unapologetic third-generation owner, Gene Pressman, had a lot of fun before everything imploded. He and his brother Bob ran the company into the ground before eventually losing it. For another point of view on the fall of Barney’s check out Joshua Levine’s book The Rise and Fall of the House of Barneys: A Family Tale of Chutzpah, Glory, and Greed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Kathryn Krydynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up, Gene Pressman comes off as a huge asshole and his story just doesn't seem to really acknowledge how his lifestyle contributed to the downfall of the story and seems to blame his brother Bob way too much for my liking. although I really don't know much about the matter, it is just how it comes off.

That said it was very interesting to hear his story and the small section about the AIDs crisis did make me cry. I don't regret reading it and learned a lot about the fashion history that shapes the industry today.

[BRUCE GREENBERG · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really about Barneys

As a former mens retailer who always spent time in Barney's on New York trips I was disappointed that the main story hear is about Gene Pressman. Tons of name dropping and life style. The fall is a small part of the book, but at least he took some responsibility. The real creator of Barney's was Fred Pressman, one of the greatest mens retailers of all time!

[Pat Lampe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a most interesting story of how the famous Barneys in New York came to be. Each family member added his own view and talents. I loved learning about the garment industry, fabrics, construction. And the culture of each era. So much more than just a biography of a store (if that is such a thing). A little name dropping, but it was acknowledged and really necessary to the story. So…I loved it.

[Sherrie Howey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content of the book as it relates to the history of the store was very interesting and informative and for that component, I rate this book as three stars. However the author’s self absorption was incredible and his nights out, involvement with drugs and alcohol had no reason to be mentioned in the story and totally detracted from what should have been the purpose of the book. If I were to rate the book for how self indulgent it was, my rating would be much lower.

[tina kaminow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story about the Glory Days of Retailing

I was in the lower priced fashion business for all of my career.
However the rise and fall of the fabulous Barney’s has its parallels in all of the fashion business either very high end or budget.
Reading this brought back many memories of my career .
My thanks to Gene Pressman for writing this and sharing his story of the Pressman family .