September 8, 2007

Smiths lover and Parsons drop-out Benjamin Cho doesn’t exactly follow trends—he defies them, whether it’s with morbidly humorous detached hands or floor-sweeping zippers. And he has the clientele to back it up: Chloe Sevigny, Arden Wohl, Cory Kennedy, and the asymmetrical-haired Misshapes are all die-hards and front-row regulars. Cho continues to dazzle this time around with some very elaborate arts-and-crafts-type play, from dresses cut out in the back and front like crepe paper (or a Chinese paper lantern) to twisted and woven rope threading in and out between soft satin, and a standout bold fuschia top folded like an origami flower to reveal a bare back. Simple dresses with an open chest or back revealed dreamweaver-like pieces of rock and shell embedded in a mess of rope, while other minis got a boost from ribbon wrapped around the waist like a cleverly packaged gift. While it all may sound terribly conceptual, girls like Sevigny certainly won’t shy away from wearing it, thanks in small part to Cho’s smart color-coordination—a minimalist reduction of blacks and whites with pops of fuschia, royal blue, and some dazzling gold stripes. And if you’re not an indie tastemaker or a party-hopping hipster, pick up a pair of his always sleek and stylish black satin pants. They’re pretty much tapered and tailored to perfection, just like the rest of his collection.