3.1 Phillip Lim / Fall 2012 RTW
Phillip Lim’s
overarching infatuation with women’s over-stimulated modern-day lives,
which he adroitly addressed for pre-fall with superhero undertones,
didn’t turn out to be a one-season-only tribute. From within a dimly lit
warehouse inside Highline Stages on Monday, where a smoke machine sent
clouds swirling skyward, Lim transported onlookers back to that neo-noir
comic-book underworld. But as the clouds parted, it was anything other
than caped crusaders who swooped down the runway. Rather, it was models
dressed in the type of graphic, fuss-free pieces that have stealthily
become his signature—slim-fitting pants and boxy cropped or elongated
blazers (outlined here with panels of black to give an illusionary,
shadow-like effect to the otherwise white ensembles)—and which could be
rendered appropriate for any easily distracted city-habitué with her
adrenaline perpetually pumping on fight-or-flight mode.
As one who prides himself on utilitarian functionality, this was far from any excuse for Lim to fall prey to clichéd notions of body-consciousness (the closest he got to Catwoman’s closet was a chicly tailored black and nude satin jumpsuit embedded with a curving trompe l’oeil bustier). Nor did he allude to anything resembling an aggressive spirit; instead he headed in quite the opposite direction. A sumptuously soft shearling biker jacket in serene forest green, snow-white scuba-bonded jackets paired with high-waisted jodhpurs, and soot-black caped sweaters dense enough to guard against the chilly temperatures that editors have been contending with this past week all proved that while protection was clearly a considered theme, the effect was quiet, feminine, and of course, relentlessly practical.
But seriousness aside, there were playful elements too. Lim illuminated a largely monochromatic palette with accents of pumpkin, aubergine, and prune, and further lightened the mood with a return to delicate, ethereal layering—the type where the designer encases opaque fabrics (like his organza knee-length shorts) in transparent sheaths cut from an opposing silhouette (for instance here he chose a diaphanous chiffon pencil skirt). That feeling extended to the accessories too, as in the case of one diminutive gilt-leather purse zipped comfortably inside a far larger, clear plastic clutch. This was a collection that, rather than opting for shock value, played to Lim’s time-honored strengths. “We run through clothes so fast nowadays,” said the designer of these closet-keepers. “I wanted to make clothes available, but at the same time preserve and protect them.”
As one who prides himself on utilitarian functionality, this was far from any excuse for Lim to fall prey to clichéd notions of body-consciousness (the closest he got to Catwoman’s closet was a chicly tailored black and nude satin jumpsuit embedded with a curving trompe l’oeil bustier). Nor did he allude to anything resembling an aggressive spirit; instead he headed in quite the opposite direction. A sumptuously soft shearling biker jacket in serene forest green, snow-white scuba-bonded jackets paired with high-waisted jodhpurs, and soot-black caped sweaters dense enough to guard against the chilly temperatures that editors have been contending with this past week all proved that while protection was clearly a considered theme, the effect was quiet, feminine, and of course, relentlessly practical.
But seriousness aside, there were playful elements too. Lim illuminated a largely monochromatic palette with accents of pumpkin, aubergine, and prune, and further lightened the mood with a return to delicate, ethereal layering—the type where the designer encases opaque fabrics (like his organza knee-length shorts) in transparent sheaths cut from an opposing silhouette (for instance here he chose a diaphanous chiffon pencil skirt). That feeling extended to the accessories too, as in the case of one diminutive gilt-leather purse zipped comfortably inside a far larger, clear plastic clutch. This was a collection that, rather than opting for shock value, played to Lim’s time-honored strengths. “We run through clothes so fast nowadays,” said the designer of these closet-keepers. “I wanted to make clothes available, but at the same time preserve and protect them.”
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