CHRIS BENZ
Fashion Show Presentation Photos
FALL / WINTER 2011
Mercedes Benz Fashion Week New York
SHOP: Chris Benz at Shopbop
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In their Words…
The Fall – Winter 2011 CHRIS BENZ Collection marks a return to pastoral American elegance, and the temptations of mysterious, dark beauty.
Inspiration is drawn from Southern Gothic’s romantic visions of Savannah, Georgia and the restrained spirit of the American South. The supernatural, ironic, and grotesque all play wildly into the Collection. American glamour, Georgian decorum, witchcraft, and the ghostly muse all play starring roles in CHRIS BENZ’ garden of Autumn delights..
Savannah’s mix of eccentric dynastic society with art school experimentation form the basis for Fall’s curious spirit. The palette undulates from inky black and navy, through marshy tones of taupe, bark, grey, and moss, and is punctuated by spicy daubs of vermillion, icy blue, and yellow. The colors suggest a renegade artist’s attack on a staid interior, splashing pure pigment onto aged upholstery.
Swathes of burnt-flower print crepe de chine and georgette cascade, harnessed by velvet ties and cotton twill tape. The attenuated silhouette consists of relaxed silk tops over tailored bottoms and ruggedly elegant outerwear. Infiltrated wool felt, tumbled calf, and stonewashed carriage tartans encase inner delicacy and femininity.
The ghostly energy of the South is echoed in smoky graphic prints, elongated proportion, and frothy fabrication. Classic CHRIS BENZ details such as bows, ribbons, tassels, and crochet, are refined, paired with clean graphic shapes and silhouettes.
The haunting eye-line of Patricia Underwood for CHRIS BENZ felted beaver hats top off the explosive collection, which balances antebellum details like pewter ball buttons and bustle-backs, freshly interpreted as layered, neat separates.
Photos: Chris Benz
