How Pippi Longstocking and Fried Eggs are Inspiring a New Bill Blass
Creative director Chris Benz walks us through the archives and his inspiration.
![this image is not available this image is not available](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/legacy-fre-image-placeholder-1642515924.png?crop=1.00xw:0.501xh;0,0.217xh&resize=1200:*)
Austere. Old Lady. Dry. Serious. These are words that Chris Benz would have used to describe Bill Blass over a year ago. That's before he was installed at the brand as its umpteenth creative director. (After Bill Blass retired in 1999, and died just three years later, his label faltered under the creative direction of no less than six different names.) With access to the extensive Bill Blass archives, Benz soon changed his mind.
It was there that Benz, who had his own namesake line known for it's richly saturated and subversively feminine dresses from 2007 to 2013, found a kinship with Blass: the clothes were "kind of kooky and colorful and had strange proportions," he said. "It blew my mind."
On Monday, November 2, Bill Blass relaunches as an ecommerce-only brand (billblass.com) with a full line of ready-to-wear, shoes, and accessories. Here, Benz walks us through his inspiration and vision for a new Bill Blass— truly modern American sportswear with a wicked sense of humor.
![Headshot of Leah Rose Chernikoff Headshot of Leah Rose Chernikoff](https://hips.hearstapps.com/rover/profile_photos/75edb091-9f44-4b5b-b311-9674590033c9.jpg?fill=1:1&resize=120:*)
Leah Chernikoff is the former digital director of ELLE.
![manolo blahnik sale 2022 manolo blahnik sale 2022](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/manolo-blahnik-sale-2022-1658945856.jpg?crop=0.342xw:0.684xh;0.329xw,0.199xh&resize=360:*)
Act Fast: Manolo Blahniks Are Actually On Sale
![this image is not available this image is not available](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/legacy-fre-image-placeholder-1642515924.png?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=360:*)
DKNY Taps Public School Designers as New Creative Directors
![this image is not available this image is not available](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/legacy-fre-image-placeholder-1642515924.png?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=360:*)
These Three Menswear Designers are Rewriting the Script for Guys—and Women
![this image is not available this image is not available](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/legacy-fre-image-placeholder-1642515924.png?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=360:*)
Behind the Scenes With Nicolas Ghesquiere