Chris Benz

“I'd call my work 'instinctual design.' I like to find the spirit of a piece that defies time, age, and occasion. My clothes give the wearer the chance to develop their own voice within a wardrobe, and I think of them as curators of their personal style.”

“I love the challenge of taking colors that are totally disparate and making them work together in an interesting way.”

“I always like a woman in power in politics. I think they're pretty inspirational in terms of looks to begin with. It's very calculated.”

“The best part of fashion is the interns - having them or being one.”

“I often feel like Facebook is a giant friend portfolio, and sometimes it can be a much more socially appropriate way of contacting a person as compared with texting or telephone. And never mind the fact that it's integrated into the iPhone. Makes me crazy in a super good way.”

“While at Parsons, I interned at Marc Jacobs, which was great. When I graduated, I went to work at J. Crew; that was also really great.”

“I'm drawn to girls with a certain self-effacing, humorous quality and an innate independence and point of view. I love the notion of never taking yourself too seriously or being too put together.”

“Growing up in Seattle, I was always that kid who didn't subscribe to what everyone else was wearing.”