Something must have been in the water in New York ten years ago (you probably don’t want to know). First Alexander Wang rung in a decade in business, and then today Phillip Lim celebrated his brand’s tenth anniversary. If you didn’t know, however, the show would not have offered you a single clue. It was not particularly celebratory and not a retrospective either. Lim decided to look forward and who can blame him when the future is looking good? With 3.1 Phillip Lim stores around the world and a reliable accessories line, Lim and his co-founder Wen Zhou are taking a moment to stop and smell the flowers. That’s what they named this collection. Did the mounds of earth that made up the set symbolise staying down to earth or breaking new ground? They were an installation by the artist and environmentalist Maya Lin - so naturally, following the show the soil will be repurposed back into community gardens in the city.
Earthy sand tones and forest greens dominated, with roomy bomber jackets and paper bag trousers and skirts. Sporty jackets were softened with porcelain floral prints and crisp white shirts, slashed and tied at the waist, were contrasted with black leather sleeves. Pinstriped denim was collaged with floral prints and metallic jacquards - a winning combination. Sporty with florals, leather and silk - Lim likes these contrasts and in his hands they’re often successful although a straight-up white shirtdress and a green silk wrap dress were equally desirable. So were the classic black and tan leather biker jackets he showed, as well as a tan leather shift dress with a pleated contrasting back. I just hope the tennis headband visors never catch on.
