In 2001, we were fortunate enough to spend our holiday break vacationing in the Bahamas with our family.
In between sunning by the pool, sipping oversize cocktails (virgin, of course–we were still under age) and scouring the Nassau markets for stylish tropical treasures, we gambled at the casino with our dear Grandma Roz.
One evening after a particularly lucky streak at the Blackjack table (those virgin drinks really helped with our math), an inebriated stranger rushed up to Grandma in the lobby.
“Ma’am, I have to have your hat,” said the man of the multicolored sequin creation resting on top of her head. The flashy, newsboy cap resembled a vision one is liable to see during a bad acid trip (so we’ve heard). Yet it suited our 5-foot-2 inch Grandma perfectly.
She smiled and thanked the stranger for making her night. “It’s my favorite one,” said Grandma, a former milliner and department store buyer who, along with her sister, owned a hat shop in the 1930s.
But the gentleman was relentless in pursuing her bling.
“Ma’am, I’ll pay you. I have to have that hat,” he continued. Our shaky, 16 year-old self blushed redder than a humiliated beet as Grandma steadfastly declined.
“I’m sorry but it isn’t for sale,” she said, firmly clutching the $12 topper that originated at a wholesale goods trade show some years before. But the bloke refused to go down quietly.
“Ok you got me,” he said before producing the thickest roll of cold, hard cash we had ever seen. “I’ll give you $10,000.”
He plopped the wad in Grandma’s hand and our jaw dropped to the floor like a cartoon coyote. Grandma Roz, on the other hand, remained unfazed.
“Oh I love this hat. I could never give it up.” she said. And the discussion was done. The wealthy stranger just stared, dumbfounded, as Grandma confidently turned her back and walked into the night.
With cardigans, blazers, pencil skirts and party dresses clad in multicolored, confetti-like sparkle, Chris Benz’s spring 2010 collection took us back to that evening in the best possible way (minus the part where $10,000 quite literally slipped through our fingers).
But looking back, the money didn’t matter.
Guess it’s true what they say–true love really is priceless.
See the rest of Benz’s whimsical, vibrant collection, here.
Images: Gray Scott for Chris Benz
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