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Charles Harbison (pictured at the 2024 Fashion Trust U.S. Awards) has outfitted stars like Kelly Rowland, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Jodie Turner-Smith in his bold, colorful clothes. Variety via Getty Images
Quiet luxury has its time and place, but Charles Harbison’s clothes make the case for something louder.
The architect-turned-designer describes his aesthetic as “violently optimistic,” telling Page Six Style, “There’s an unabashed devotion to joy and optimism, joie de vivre, color, pattern, curiosity.”
It’s that playfulness that caught the eyes of Beyoncé and Michelle Obama in the mid-2010s, when Harbison first launched his namesake line in New York. Close to a decade (and a relocation to starry LA) later, his coterie of celebrity fans — or “Harbison angels,” as he calls them — has only grown.
And while styles from his collection will set you back four figures, fans can finally own a piece for much less, thanks to Nordstrom’s new collaboration with Harlem’s Fashion Row. He’s one of three designers of color who contributed to the project, along with House of Aama and Megan Renee.
Beyoncé was one of his earliest famous fans, stepping out in several Harbison looks in 2015. Getty Images for adidas
Nordstrom x Harlem’s Fashion Row Harbison Sweater Vest and Skirt
Nordstrom
Nordstrom x Harlem’s Fashion Row Harbison Trench Coat
Nordstrom
“Any opportunity I get to bring the Harbison vision to new customers, it’s a hard thing to say no to,” he says.
“I have the benefit of so many individuals loving and being a part of what we’re building, and getting cashmere separates to them at $200 and amazing transitional statement dresses at less than $300 is something I was really excited about doing.”
And while the collection’s bold Balloon Sleeve Minidress ($169) appears to be an early hit — it’s already sold out in most sizes — Harbison says “it’s not hard” to choose his personal favorite piece from the lineup: the Floral Pleat Maxi Dress ($229).
Nordstrom x Harlem’s Fashion Row Harbison Floral Pleat Maxi Dress
Nordstrom
Nordstrom x Harlem’s Fashion Row Harbison Balloon Sleeve Minidress
Nordstrom
“I love that dress, I really do,” he says. “It’s a shape that I’ve not used in the main collection [yet], but I will be using it!”
While we wait for this new shape to pop up on one of his famous friends, read on for Harbison’s reflections on some of his greatest celebrity hits so far.
Ava DuVernay at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party (2019)
Getty Images
“I had run away to LA to save my life and save my head, and I had to reconcile myself with sacrificing a brand. And when my friend Jason Bolden and his husband [Adair Curtis] — they had this show, ‘Styling Hollywood’ — brought this opportunity up, I was kind of like, ‘OK, if you think I can do it!’ Them trusting me, and Ava trusting me, gave me a burst of confidence.
“It was an affirming moment for me. Harbison’s signatures … I think there are many, but two particular ones are the snatched waist and the panniers. That silhouette, that vernacular, started with that commission, and I’ve not let those two signatures go [since]. It’s hyper-feminine, and I love to offer my girls hyper-femininity but also badass power.”
Jodie Turner-Smith at the Venice Film Festival (2022)
WireImage
“That face, that woman, that presence, that body in that look is something I’ll never forget. It’s so Harbison! I was in love with this Baltic blue, and we found it in a crepe and a satin, and it felt light. I shot it in the lookbook in a very different way, and [Turner-Smith’s stylist] was looking for looks that hadn’t been seen on anyone before. I didn’t hear anything until I got a snapshot of Jodie in it in Venice!
“Afterward, she [kept asking her stylists,] ‘What about Harbison? Is there any Harbison on the rack?’ And these girls see everything; these women have access to whatever they want. And so I’m always grateful.”
Sheryl Lee Ralph at the Super Bowl (2023)
Getty Images for Roc Nation
“This is a diva being a diva, and that was the goal for me with that look. It’s an iconic woman and an iconic, historic moment; I wanted it to meet the moment. She was confident in that red. It was what she wanted to wear, and I was like, ‘Say less!’
“The jumpsuit just fit her beautifully; it was at once sporty and new, but also very classic with the train. And the volume of it just really made sure that she was not eclipsed by the giant football field. Because Sheryl Lee Ralph can never be eclipsed!”
Kelly Rowland at the Fashion Trust U.S. Awards (2024)
FilmMagic
“That night that I won the Fashion Trust U.S. Ready-to-Wear Award, to see these amazing women in these very audacious, elegant looks in that space … it was a very affirming moment. I am a huge Kelly fan, and I actually find her presence to be quite angelic. And then I met her — and I met her in my look, in white — and I was like, ‘You are angelic!’ The look just felt so right in a way I never could’ve known.
“Oftentimes, a lot of talent don’t always know the brands they’re putting on; you know, their stylists are introducing looks to them. So I told her, ‘I’ve now had the opportunity to dress you a few times.’ And she said, ‘Well, I guess that makes me a fan.’ And I almost died.”
Ashlyn Harris and Sophia Bush at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (2024)
Getty Images
“I don’t want to get emotional here, but I was so excited for my friend. By that time, Sophia had become a friend, and she entrusted this moment to me in a way that was beyond just a look. [It was about] my friend owning her whole humanity and her love and walking into this space confidently together [with her girlfriend]. Obviously, I have a vested interest in that being the case for all of us, as a queer person. So I just wanted the both of them to not only feel very individual, but very connected.
“[The matching gold details were] 100% thought out. We wanted to make the truth of their union visible. They look so in love!”
Elizabeth Banks at the Olympics (2024)
Getty Images
“This was such a surprise for me, and I think it’s because Elizabeth is one of those celebrities that can feel so relatable but also so elusive, because she’s very much iconic.
“And so to see her in one of my strongest looks — but also maybe one of my more challenging looks — to see her build that look up with so much beauty and to own it in such an easy, insouciant way, it just spoke to how much she reflects all those Harbison sensibilities. Style, play, intellect … and violently optimistic! She looks so banging.”
