Since relaunching his eponymous line in 2021, Charles Harbison has unapologetically honed his flair for the dramatic. His signature gowns are designed in the brightest blues and most shocking pinks, marked by exaggerated proportions, floral embellishments, and the addition of billowy capes because… why not?
“So many of my clients want absurdity,” Harbison said during a studio visit in New York. “They’re like, ‘I want a longer train! I want a bigger sleeve!” For spring 2025, the LA-based designer delivered with short dresses and A-line mini skirts affixed with oversized satin rosettes; a voluminous bolero jacket that can also be also be worn as a top, draped across the chest; and vibrant, body-hugging, fit-for-a-ball gowns. Harbison made some of these pieces in white—ideal for the more-is-more bride. The offering extends beyond fantasy dressing, though, with much of the collection rooted in Harbison’s version of practicality.
“I’ve been in this Boticelli, Venetian, sort of opulent space,” he explained, adding that he also drew inspiration from the work of painter Danielle McKinney. The combination of the two—a past version of obvious perfection and a modern version of what Harbison describes as McKinney’s “heady, intellectual perfection”—resulted in long pleated skirts, two-tone shirt dresses, and breezy, oversized pajama sets, all in washed silk and neutral hues. “I know I have a knack for bold color, and I love primaries,” Harbison says, “but when I was looking at the inspiration—and I really do use my inspo boards, because they push me—the Botticelli world requires you to see beauty in a pastel, muted, hazy dream world sort of vibe.” A North Carolina native who often designs with his mother and aunts in mind, his references were apparent in a halterneck maxi dress in black and gold that floated under one of his sweeping overcoats. “Very, very Black excellence,” he said of the look.
While eveningwear continues to shine bright in the Harbison universe, spring 2025, the designer said, allows the women he designs for “to proceed in their daytime with that same kind of audacity; that same kind of absurdity, optimism, and glitz. There’s no reason why that can’t be part of your daytime.”
