Bensoni (Q3868)
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Bensoni is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Bensoni |
Bensoni is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Sonia Yoon's impending nuptials—she's getting married in May—got her and design partner Benjamin Channing Clyburn feeling nostalgic about their youth. Don't laugh; the duo may still have plenty of their twenties left ahead of them, but Yoon marks the wedding ceremony as a passage into adulthood, and rightfully so. The bride-to-be's jitters propelled the pair to stage a faux bash, a Gothic Wedding they called it in their show notes, where the designers could plan without giving a whit for tradition.Cute idea, but maybe too cute? A few pieces felt costumey (and not just the black wedding gown that closed), and it was hard to shake the feeling of familiar tropes being revisited instead of new territory being explored. To be fair, Yoon and Clyburn were clear that a trip down memory lane would naturally pass through the nineties (fertile stomping ground for all this season, it seems), and in fact, a wispy, long-sleeve T-shirt dress cut on the bias was simple and lovely. But there wasn't much that was fresh about the tiered and slashed hemlines on numerous dresses and tops—several of which came in plaid, to boot. It would be nice next season if Bensoni gave their backstory less import and let the design process lead the way.
12 February 2011
The seventies continue to be a rich font of inspiration for designers, with Benjamin Channing Clyburn and Sonia Yoon taking a big sip from the Me Decade for Spring. But for every reference to the past, the duo balanced it out with a nod to the future. The forward thinking was precipitated by Yoon's recent engagement, but the resulting looks were more galactic babe than blushing bride. But first, back to the seventies. The daytime looks were uniformly long and loose. The opener, an ankle-skimming button-fly acid-washed denim skirt unbuttoned past the knee, looked like printed silk and had none of denim's usual heft. Paired with a delicate tie-back racer in an abstract feather print, it set the tone for a confident and well-edited outing. Given their knack for digital prints, it's no surprise Clyburn and Yoon got in on the print-on-print mix many designers have been championing of late. They pulled off the mash-up with aplomb: A long chiffon dress with vertical pleats had fresh horizontal stripes in gray and peach down below; it made for a nice contrast with more of that feather print up top.For night, long hemlines got the ax. Pops of acid green and neon pink replaced the taupes and nudes. Organza pleats on the skirts were kitted out with whorls of shredded lace; all the short, bright, and pleated party gear had an appropriately exuberant spirit. Before the presentation, Clyburn and Yoon said they'd been encouraged to take risks this season—they're extremely young, after all—and it's safe to say the gambit paid off. It will be exciting to watch this pair continue to find their voice in seasons to come.
8 September 2010
Benjamin Channing Clyburn and Sonia Yoon gave their imaginary Fall muse a familiar backstory: A generous grandmother from Greenwich, Connecticut, has bequeathed her a new wardrobe, and she's had it tailored for a more modern fit.The fit was fine. But there wasn't enough of the modern to push the collection forward—and at times it felt like Bensoni's girl was playing dress-up. A boxy mohair topper in two tones of scarlet was nice, for instance, but it screamed Camelot.Fur, though, was a strong addition to the lineup. The best outerwear bet was a fox vest that, viewed from the back, revealed itself to be part cashmere sweater. An unusual print on a smart sheath dress in gray and white turned out to be a digital rendering of fox fur that somehow looked simultaneously organic and supernatural. Clyburn and Yoon have shown a flair for prints in the past; they should pursue this talent further.Dresses, unfortunately, could have used a more rigorous edit. A series of asymmetrical and one-shouldered numbers cut short and inevitably ruched were hardly special, and with the addition of contrasting cross-body panels of fabric, unflattering. If the concept was a reworked gala gown, perhaps it would have been best to leave the gown as it was.Missteps aside, Bensoni clearly has potential. Developing a string of go-to basics—including, say, their perfectly tailored skinny cotton-faille pants—would be a good start.
11 February 2010