Women's
The Bold and the Beautiful: Jose & Maria Barrera
A Barrera breastplate made for Beyoncé
Pearls and colored stones mingle in India-inspired pieces.
At their stylish atelier in Manhattan’s Garment District, Jose Barrera and his daughter Larisa Barrera oversee a group of skilled artisans as they hand make each Jose & Maria Barrera piece for the Neiman Marcus holiday collection. (Neiman Marcus began buying the line 28 years ago.) Meanwhile, matriarch Maria Barrera tends to business matters. The family’s atelier is an inspired, and inspiring, treasure trove of ethnic art, collected over 30 years. African, Chinese, Indonesian and Mexican artifacts and folk art line the walls from floor to ceiling, creating a feeling of warmth, welcome and fantasy. A charmed space.
As an art student, Jose Barrera was discovered by former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. She was so entranced by his brass body jewelry she commissioned Irving Penn to shoot model Marisa Berenson as a nude, wearing nothing but the Barrera chains. This was Vogue’s first nude and it catapulted Barrera and Berenson to fame.
Some of the Barrera’s subsequent media highlights are displayed around the studio, such as a breastplate worn by Beyoncé on the back cover of “I Am…Sasha Fierce” and a Vanity Fair cover with Cher.
Describing his approach to design, Jose Barrera says he studies the ready-to-wear collections closely to determine colors, shapes and silhouettes. He also visits flea markets to see what is catching on from decades past. His design process is decidedly low tech: “I take pencil to paper,” he says with a chuckle.
Jose Barrera
For Neiman Marcus’ holiday season, the Barreras have adopted a wine & roses theme with a focus on shades of burgundy and bold, ornate designs.
Combining NM trends of Bordeaux and bold gold.
Take note: Barrera anticipates a resurgence in brooches.
Shop Jose & Maria Barrera at NeimanMarcus.com and Neiman Marcus stores.
