Chris Benz

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

I feel like everyone should dye their hair a weird color. If you hate it, you can just dye it back.

I remember watching 'The Carol Burnett Show' with my parents as a kid. All those weird outfits she wore, like turtlenecks and long skirts, really stayed in my head.

I have specific playlists for arrivals in different cities. Tokyo skews new wave, Paris more jazz, and New York is Top 40.

I think Seattle has a great sort of luxury and comfort sensibility, which I oftentimes think is lost in fashion for fashion's sake.

I particularly like Facebook because it straddles the gap between seeing people and not seeing them.

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

I have no problem with being underdressed.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where it's all about being comfortable. I try to bring that undercurrent to what I do. It's great to have beautiful, dressed-up clothes that still feel casual.

Life in New York is one of succumbing to a tidal wave of control and direction, of numbing oneself to emotion.

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.

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