Walking into Chris Benz's Midtown West studio is more than every girl's sartorial dream – it's the kind of place you can only hope your NYC apartment will look like someday. The young designer is a self-professed eBay fanatic – which is perhaps the best explanation for the printed throw pillows, eclectic collagings of abstract artwork and vintage framed prints, along with all the gorgeous Sascha Brastoff ceramics, which Benz used to serve up iced tea to guests at his Resort 2011 presentation last Thursday. But doling out beverages wasn't the only purpose the Brastoff beauties served – they also inspired much of Benz's collection, along with the California sculptor's costume designs for actress Carmen Miranda back in the Fifties.
While Benz thankfully didn't take Miranda's fruit cornucopia headgear to literal heart, I did love that he captured the actress' free spirit in the collection – which makes perfect sense for vacation-minded Resort. There were graphic prints with retro throwbacks and unique textures – including a lightweight tweed embroidered with cotton tulle and silk organza – that took center stage. Tweed for resort, you ask? Don't be so shocked; if anyone call pull it off, it's Benz. And being the sucker that I am for a resurfaced (and much improved) fashion trend of the past (clogs anyone?), I couldn't keep my hands off of the designer's Livia cropped blouse, which came in dreamy peach and ivory hues in 100 percent silk chiffon – divine.
A look from Chris Benz Resort 2011
xoxo fashion geek
