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Minutes before celebrated American designer Chris Benz was set to greet press at Saks Fifth Avenue’s VIP lounge, he tweeted that he was ready for us via a pic of his quirky mismatched
pair of Church’s wingtips (one yellow, one blue). Naturally, the ‘King of Color’, as he’s been appropriately and lovingly dubbed by the fashion community, had more fun-loving bombast up
his sleeve, sporting an enviable tan and a shocking head of fluorescent pink hair that very few people could pull off. Sitting down with the designer moments before he was set to meet fans
in Saks’ first floor to sign the exclusive gift-with-purchase tote bag he designed for Lancome Paris, it became apparent that the boisterousness was anchored by a real dose of down-to-
earth accessibility. It’s not every day one meets such a friendly, approachable designer.
Following last spring’s successful collaboration between Benz and the beauty powerhouse on the special lipstick ‘Chris & Tell’ – Lancome tapped Benz to design an exclusive limited
edition must-have summer tote bag, available this month for Saks Fifth Avenue customers who make a $60 Lancome purchase. “I’ve worked with Lancome since our very first season,”
says Benz. “They understand the spirit of our collection and they’re always willing to go a bit further than maybe their own brand would be comfortable with. I always wanted to do some kind
of gift-with-purchase because I remember growing up and going into my mom’s bathroom and opening the cupboard and having a million of those weird zipper pouches fall out all over the
place. I felt we should do something for the summer that was actually functional, something that girls would actually want -and what’s better in the summer than a tote bag?” He certainly
practices what he preaches. His own Celine tote bag, which he purchased in Chicago, was lying in the seat next to him. “I get nervous walking around with this thing,” he let us know, half-
jokingly.
The Chris Benz tote will come with a series of Lancome must-haves, including the Definicils Precious Cells Mascara and Absolue Hand, the option to select one of two moisturizers and a
trio arrangement of lipstick, gloss and blush in either pink or coral. The illustration on the adorable tote, although similar to the looks and color story in Benz’s Resort 2012 collection, is
totally exclusive to this Lancome team-up, so don’t expect to add these pieces to your surely Benz-filled wardrobe. “It’s totally exclusive. We’ve been working on it for quite some time. When I
was thinking about the sketch I knew that this would be out – literally – in the middle of the summer. What’s every girl’s imaginary, romantic summer escape? I think it contains all of those
elements.”
Finally, we wanted a quick word from the man himself, on what makes the Chris Benz client who she is and how he comes to build on that definition season after season. “There’s not
enough time to look around and analyze what other designers are doing and dissect the trends. You have to be totally emotional about it. Our customer, the ‘Chris Benz’ girl - is preppyish,
rebellious, but she’s based in American splendor. For the past 16 seasons, Lancome has helped me to push her in these specific, certain directions.”
pair of Church’s wingtips (one yellow, one blue). Naturally, the ‘King of Color’, as he’s been appropriately and lovingly dubbed by the fashion community, had more fun-loving bombast up
his sleeve, sporting an enviable tan and a shocking head of fluorescent pink hair that very few people could pull off. Sitting down with the designer moments before he was set to meet fans
in Saks’ first floor to sign the exclusive gift-with-purchase tote bag he designed for Lancome Paris, it became apparent that the boisterousness was anchored by a real dose of down-to-
earth accessibility. It’s not every day one meets such a friendly, approachable designer.
Following last spring’s successful collaboration between Benz and the beauty powerhouse on the special lipstick ‘Chris & Tell’ – Lancome tapped Benz to design an exclusive limited
edition must-have summer tote bag, available this month for Saks Fifth Avenue customers who make a $60 Lancome purchase. “I’ve worked with Lancome since our very first season,”
says Benz. “They understand the spirit of our collection and they’re always willing to go a bit further than maybe their own brand would be comfortable with. I always wanted to do some kind
of gift-with-purchase because I remember growing up and going into my mom’s bathroom and opening the cupboard and having a million of those weird zipper pouches fall out all over the
place. I felt we should do something for the summer that was actually functional, something that girls would actually want -and what’s better in the summer than a tote bag?” He certainly
practices what he preaches. His own Celine tote bag, which he purchased in Chicago, was lying in the seat next to him. “I get nervous walking around with this thing,” he let us know, half-
jokingly.
The Chris Benz tote will come with a series of Lancome must-haves, including the Definicils Precious Cells Mascara and Absolue Hand, the option to select one of two moisturizers and a
trio arrangement of lipstick, gloss and blush in either pink or coral. The illustration on the adorable tote, although similar to the looks and color story in Benz’s Resort 2012 collection, is
totally exclusive to this Lancome team-up, so don’t expect to add these pieces to your surely Benz-filled wardrobe. “It’s totally exclusive. We’ve been working on it for quite some time. When I
was thinking about the sketch I knew that this would be out – literally – in the middle of the summer. What’s every girl’s imaginary, romantic summer escape? I think it contains all of those
elements.”
Finally, we wanted a quick word from the man himself, on what makes the Chris Benz client who she is and how he comes to build on that definition season after season. “There’s not
enough time to look around and analyze what other designers are doing and dissect the trends. You have to be totally emotional about it. Our customer, the ‘Chris Benz’ girl - is preppyish,
rebellious, but she’s based in American splendor. For the past 16 seasons, Lancome has helped me to push her in these specific, certain directions.”
By Alexander Patino
POSTED June 28, 2011
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Designer Chris Benz Teams Up With Lancome Paris for an Exclusive
Gift-With-Purchase Available at Saks Fifth Avenue
Gift-With-Purchase Available at Saks Fifth Avenue
DESIGN COLLABORATIONS
This exclusive gift-with-purchase summer tote bag is available for Saks
shoppers with a $60 Lancome purchase. A $119 value
shoppers with a $60 Lancome purchase. A $119 value
'The King of Color' Chris Benz at the Elle sponsored Saks event with models sporting
looks from his latest Resort 2012 collection
looks from his latest Resort 2012 collection
| "Our customer, the ‘Chris Benz’ girl - is preppyish, rebellious, but she’s based in American splendor. For the past 16 seasons, Lancome has helped me to push her in these specific, certain directions.”- Chris Benz |