In a season in which designers are distilling their more creative impulses into practical (read: sellable) options for potential shoppers, how does Chris Benz justify the massive rainbow-hued marabou shrug enveloping one of the models at his Spring presentation? "It's time to have fun again with fashion," the designer declared. "I just wanted to make great clothes for going out." In the playful spirit of the Memphis Group, Benz offered a forties-style peplum dress in a giant polka-dot print, separates dripping in dime-sized sequins, and a baseball jacket with matching miniskirt. Hemlines ranged from fingertip-length down to the floor. There were plenty of pencil skirts that would work for daylight hours at the office, but at heart this was a free-spirited collection for gadabout night owls. No, there wasn't something for everyone, but Benz's posse will find plenty to party in.
