A Love Letter to Chris Benz, (Again)

I love, love, love Chris Benz's work. I've talked about my adoration for the pink-haired ingenue in the past, but each season, my heart grows fonder. I love his collections for being so multilayered and full of depth, color, texture - a palette that is absolutely not lacking in diversity. Dripping with sequins, beading, brocade, lamé, a rainbow of color, crazy-innovative gloves, and cloud-like jockey caps (and I'm sure there's a technical name for these, but my Dictionary of Fashion is stowed away in a storage unit in Newark... more on this later), I pretty much found myself dying for the holidays all over again. I've only just barely recovered from the last holiday season (can you believe it's not even been two months?) and here I am, waiting for a reason to walk out the door in a frock covered in pailettes, as if I ever need a reason...

It's been interesting to observe the transitions in fashion over the last three years, ever since our economy took a turn for the worse. Immediately after the recession hit clothes became a bit more rigid, conservative, tailored, and minimal; it was a shift that was incredibly visible on the runways and highly documented. Our economy is far from recovered, but perhaps the shifts in fashion back towards opulence and grandeur and embellishment are an indicator of our attitudes towards the economy? Are we becoming more comfortable? More at ease to step out in fashion full of flamboyance and life because we're adjusted to the initial shock of our down-turned economy? If there were ever rules, are we "allowed" to have fun with fashion, again? Just a thought...