As his starting point for Resort, Chris Benz was thinking of the midcentury ceramist Sascha Brastoff, whose Los Angeles milieu included another of the collection s muses, Carmen Miranda. (During his time in the U.S. Air Force, Brastoff even impersonated Miranda for a USO show.) Flash and flamboyance are hallmarks of both Carmen and Chris, of course, but Benz had a few promises at the outset. "No fruit baskets!" he said with a laugh. "Carmen Miranda was quite a tomboy in the forties."
Defining the tomboy on his terms, Benz showed abbreviated little jackets, fastened with spangled belts, in duchess satin, and high-waisted cotton sateen pants with stovepipe legs. Colors throughout were more tempered than in seasons past, but a brilliant green sponge-print suit in grass cloth—a favorite fifties interiors fabric—brought the saturation for those who might miss it, while a Brastoff-inspired print in black and white introduced a graphic element. The usual party dresses? Yes, there were a few—but, acknowledging the need to stretch himself, the puckish designer said the whole aim of the collection was "to bring the Chris Benz girl to a new era in her life." Vide a section of tweeds—very lady-who-lunches, albeit with a Benz twist. Take a closer look: The fabrics were actually silk organza, woven with ribbon and tulle, and a "gold husk tweed" shot through with Lurex. Well, no age limit on shine.
