3.1 Phillip Lim Returns to the Runway With an Ode to New York
3.1 Phillip Lim's grand return to the New York Fashion Week runway was a welcome sight on a calendar that's lost a lot of its once-most-anticipated names. But the designer came at it with a mission.
"We didn't work on the collection until we decided that we were going to come back," Lim said backstage on Sunday. "The collections we were working on have been a love letter to New York... for all the naysayers [that are] like, 'New York's gone.' New York's always been here — they just don't see it."
The brand's been through all its ups and downs in New York — or, as Lim put it, it was "born here, raised here, fell flat on its face here, celebrated here, [and is] now rising back and showing people what New York's about." Naturally, the Spring 2024 collection itself draws heavily from the city and its residents, with its cosmopolitan-minded styling (lots of layers, versatile separates, don't-need-to-overthink-it silhouettes).
"It's based off of the style of all the boys and girls that I see in New York and the way they dress," he explained. The looks occupy the liminal space between dressed and undressed: "You don't know if they're going to the bodega or a ball, if they're going to Pilates or a power meeting."
To that end, you see a lot of familiar pieces paired off in unfamiliar ways — like jersey capri pants with leather balloon blouses or knit bra tops underneath sheer rain jackets. "Is it to [go to] bed or out for night? Who knows?," he added. There are a few more literal homages to the city Lim calls home, such as an oversized sleeveless hoodie with a graphic that reads "NY Lover," plus apple-shaped tags on bags that simply say "NY."
Like many other collections we've seen throughout New York Fashion Week, 3.1 Phillip Lim plays with sheer fabrics and gauzy layers this season that really come to life when the looks are in motion. It's a reflection of the vulnerability the team felt, coming back to the calendar after a hiatus, according to the designer. The brand is "trying to keep it real and transparent, literally," he noted.
A big thing 3.1 Phillip Lim did differently with this runway show, compared to past ones, was cast models of different ages. "I'm like, why didn't I ever put that into motion? Because our customer base has always been multi-generational — moms, daughters and grandmothers, all shopping together," he reflected. "It was such a blind spot for me. Coming back, I'm like, 'I got to make sure that's out there.'"
The message for the brand's audience, he continued, is that you can find something in the collection to fit your life, your needs and your desires.
"No matter where you come from, what walk of life, where you're going, there's something for you," Lim said.
See every look from 3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024 ahead.
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
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