chris benz

eBay revealed its Holiday Collective back in July, and we're happy to report the wait is almost over. Come Monday, you can shop these exclusive goodies with reckless (read: festive) abandon. And to prep you on the brand's latest fashion initiative, which features designs from seven very cool designers — Tibi, Steven Alan, Chris Benz, Fallon, Jonathan Adler, Ruffian, and Billy Reid — we're offering up a closer look at our favorite pieces to inspire your own holiday shopping lists. Expect downtown-cool pieces from Tibi (we're obsessed with the Ponyboy faux-leather top), silky pajamas and cozy cashmere tees from Chris Benz, luxe-meets-multifunctional tech accessories from Steven Alan, edgy-glam statement jewelry from Fallon, and more. The clincher? Every item in the collection will retail for $100 or less and will include free shipping worldwide. Click on for our eBay Holiday Collective picks now.

Chris Benz used his Spring 2013 collection to make a few important introductions: he unveiled a handbag collaboration with The Cambridge Satchel Company, showed off jeans from his new CB Denim line, and affirmed that he's lowering his price points to appeal to a wider audience.

How do all of these new initiatives affect the clothes themselves? To the untrained eye, they don't. Spring for Benz is still as vibrant, multicolored, and pattern-mixed as his previous collections, proving that his visually rich aesthetic can be accomplished with less.

Inspiration, curiously enough, came from the idea of the zombie apocalypse. But these clothes weren't the blood-spattered costumes you'd see in The Walking Dead or 28 Days Later. "I wanted it to be pretty in an off-putting way," Benz said. He achieved that through layering vibrant graphic printed shorts and jackets with floral dresses and blazers, or putting sheer lace dresses over jeans, or covering whole looks with a lurex shirt or an oversize neon knit cardigan. Afghan blankets affixed with gigantic orange, brown, and yellow paillettes were an equally quirky accent. Could they mean a home collection is coming around the bend? We wouldn't doubt it. After all, in Benz's world, more really is more.

If the schoolgirl got a makeover from her artsy friend, we're betting she'd look a lot like the models in Chris Benz's Spring lineup — outfitted with sweet prints, quirky layers, and a bright Cambridge satchel in hand. This season, the designer takes on bold color and print with his always-present styling whimsy: it's pretty, but not without a little of the subversive edge that sets Benz apart. Preppy staples, right down to the accessories, like "book bags" and flat-form brogues, are turned on their heads: suiting is finished in brilliant marigold-yellows and pops of print on print (on print). But it's not just the color scheme or the perky prints; the styling here may be the most eye-catching in Benz's bag of tricks, with girlie skirts, tops, and dresses layering up to create a girlie-gone-grunge effect. You have to make a conscious effort to deconstruct each ensemble, realizing that each piece, be it a floral jacket, CB's new denim, or a printed pencil skirt, would be as much of a standout in its own right.

• Trends: Quirky layers, bold prints, loose trousers.
• Colors: White, brown, black, yellow, bright orange, pops of blue and mint green, lavender, and gray.
• Key Piece: The sunny yellow suiting; we especially loved the new colorblocked Cambridge satchels.
• Accessories: Colored and printed t-strap heels, menswear-inspired flatforms; Chris Benz x Cambridge Satchel Company bags.
• Who Should Wear It: Kate Bosworth would look gorgeous in the white lace top paired with the full white skirt; we'd love to see Solange Knowles rock those printed shorts and blazers.

"At the time, I thought I was in the chicest place in the universe," said Peter Som of his first time at New York Fashion Week as a Parsons student. In honor of that impending chicness, we spoke with him and others — veterans and newcomers alike — to hear the experiences of their first shows, their most memorable moments, and how they plan to recover after the madness of the week is over.

Pamela Love remembers being nervous the first time Anna Wintour attended one of her shows (who wouldn't be?), and Chris Benz told us about his very own House of Style moment at Marc Jacobs's Spring 2002 show. We also heard tales from Rebecca Minkoff, Rachel Comey, Yigal Azrouel, Jenni Kayne, and many others. Read on for a look at their most memorable Fashion Week moments — and find out who was so starstruck by Chloe Sevigny that they offered to let her skip the bathroom line — here, in the gallery.

— Reporting by Christina Pérez

Not to be outdone by the announcement of Target's and Neiman Marcus's upcoming collaboration extravaganza, eBay has announced that it too will partner with some very big names for Holiday 2012.

Seven designers — Billy Reid, Chris Benz, Fallon, Jonathan Adler, Ruffian, Steven Alan, and Tibi — have teamed with the cyber giant to create a limited edition collection, online November 12. The 40-piece collection — titled eBay Holiday Collective — will feature about five pieces from each designer and will include womenswear, menswear, jewelry, travel, electronic accessories, and home decor; all pieces will ship for free and are priced from $50 to $100.

"Thrilled to be collab'ing w @eBay_Fashion this holiday on a ltd edition, locally made collection. All my friends can attest I love Ebay!" Fallon's Dana Lorenz tweeted following the announcement, while Chris Benz responded "You & me, both, sister! Xx". In fact, it seems a love of eBay was somewhat of a prerequisite. All the participating designers were chosen because of "their genuine enthusiasm for eBay," the brand's general manager of fashion, Jeff Somers said, adding that "each [designer] brings originality and a distinct point of view, and embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of our marketplace."

See all the pieces, with prices, here.