the high desert in the midwest

the skies and lake are turning grayer every day here in evanston. all of the beautiful fall leaves have blown away, leaving barren branches behind.

the mood is shifting, too, as residents old and new begin to feel the winter season looming. it settles into the bones, this sense of imminent meteorological long-suffering.

the best antidote?

color, and lots of it.

enter, chris benz's resort 2010 collection.

inspired by the rich hues of the high desert, his colors run the gamut from blazing persimmon and gold through cornflower, pool, and navy blues. featherweight leather dresses and jackets juxtapose with ethereal silk layered shifts and camis.

and his knits? well, he's kind of famous for them. olive, navy, sky blue, and eames lime: they are mouth-watering.

this american-grown designer most definitely has us ooh-ing and aah-ing over his athletic, modern, yet still enticingly Lady sportswear.

we can't wait to see where chris benz takes us next--but for the moment, we're basking in the brightness of the desert's palette.

say good-bye to seasonal affective disorder. chris benz is in the house.

a tale of two cities . . . a love story

paris.

new york.

two distinct metropolises connected by a common thread: fashion (with a capital "f").

every time we board a flight bound for either of these sartorial capitals, we have to pinch ourselves.

is it easy? no.
restful? hardly.

is owning one's own boutique one of the hardest, most all-consuming careers we've experienced?

do we bolt upright in the middle of the night, wondering what we possibly could have been thinking when we ordered that, in those quantities, in that particular color?

do we occasionally open a shipment and question our sanity 3-4 months earlier?

do we often ask ourselves why we weren't able to anticipate which style turned out to be the sure-fire, walk out the door on its own legs winner?

yes, yes, yes, and yes again.

all the above being equal, though, we'd be lying if we said we don't love what we do.

we do. love it, that is. with a capital "l."

and one of the main reasons we love it so much is because we get to connect with others who also love fashion, who view it as a form of wearable art, or as the means to express different moods on different days. it's like performance art (without the smoky cafe atmosphere).

recently, when we were in both new york and paris, we had the opportunity to explore some incredibly fabulous lines: some new to the world, and some just new to us.

and we have to say, the instant high we experience when we have that immediate, visceral "a-ha!" moment just can't be beat.

except, that is, for when we get to share those very same "a-ha!" moments with you.

trust us when we tell you there are many such moments working their way toward you, as we type. our orders have been confirmed and processed; their independent pieces are in the process of being constructed and stitched, as you read. and soon enough, they'll be winging their way toward us and (hopefully) into your closets.

we can't give too much away. that'd spoil the fun. but we're thrilled with the collections of both our existing lines and those new to the fold.

and we promise you will be too.

p.s. yes, it is blue leather--bettah than buttah!