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It's a grey and drizzly afternoon, "Seattle weather," according to Chris Benz, a native of the Washington city, when he meets up with ELLE.com for a vintage shopping excursion. The Vespa he usually cruises around town on has been sidelined because of the impending rain, so he arrives in the East Village on foot, ready for a day of digging through racks of printed polyester dresses and bins of faux baubles to get inspired.


The first stop is Fabulous Fanny's on East 9th Street, where Benz tries on countless pairs of vintage frames-"Are these me, or what?"

Fabulous Fanny's, 335 East 9th Street, NY, NY, 212-533-0637


Inspiration has temporarily given way to Benz's desire to shop. His personal style is very much a reflection of his design aesthetic (a smartly casual mix of prep, quirk, and tattered chic) and he has scored his first find of the day in a vintage fisherman's cardigan. "Now this is chic!" he says as he slips into it.


When Fabulous Fanny's owner Ken Finneran hears Benz is a designer, he lets the whole crew into a hush-hush closet reserved for his true treasures-like a centuries-old velveteen coat with and intricately embroidered pattern.


For his fall 08 collection, Benz is turning to vintage fabrics for inspiration. "I'm working with a lot of Rati prints from their archive," he says. "We re-color them and re-do them. I love picking up a funny old idea, and then somehow trying to make it modern."


The next stop is Physical Graffiti on St. Mark's Place, where Benz holds up everything from Victorian-inspired blouses and short shift dresses to tartan highwaters. Elements of each will go into his fall collection-"a lot of short turtleneck dresses, and I'm really into the sack dress, and an easy mixing of plaids."

Physical Graffiti, 98 St. Mark's Place, NY, NY
 

"I got really inspired for this collection when I was in Paris," Benz says. "It's very grandmotherly, in a funny way. A little Grey Gardens, but not so literal."


At Cobblestones, a vintage boutique positively bursting with clothes and accessories in every nook, owner Delanee Koppersmith is elated to see Benz. "Darling yes, yes how have you been...tell me about your travels!" She plucks a few of the best pieces for Rufus-Isaacs to try on while Benz makes his way through a rack of hats.

Cobblestones, 314 East 9th Street, NY, NY, 212-673-5372


"It's really important to me that a girl have versatility," Benz says, holding up a sweater in an aqua and olive combination few people other than himself could find the beauty in. "I love to see her in a super-tailored menswear look, or a really feminine blouse, or anything that just works wherever she goes," he says of the Chris Benz woman.