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.
