His show may have started an hour late (one notable store owner left before the lights dimmed), but judging by the partylike atmosphere in Benjamin Cho s front row, guests like Natasha Lyonne, Mary-Kate Olsen, and her boyfriend Nate Lowman weren t fazed. "I wanted to go back to the beginning of my career," Cho said. "A culmination of my years as a designer, but with new elements." Indeed, the 18 looks he sent down the runway were classic Cho silhouettes. Body-con minidresses and skinny trousers ruled, the former looking fresh with an architectural off-the-shoulder collar. The craftiness that has become a signature of sorts (all aspects of the collection, according to Cho, were done by hand) swung both ways. It allowed for quirky details like a sash of braided tassels or a sleeve trimmed with keys, yet some garments appeared unfinished at the seams. Were he any other designer, Cho s particular style would be better suited to a presentation format, but then the downtown set would have one less occasion to convene and lend their support to a friend.
