A large part of the charm of the boho aesthetic is its magpie quality: a bit of this and a bit of that, put together in an ersatz way. Phillip Lim's latest collection paid tribute to boho, and it featured many of its familiar elements—eyelet, fringe, bell-shaped sleeves, macraméé. Incorporating some mess into his idiomatic look meant that Lim was working against the grain of his own methodical sensibility—much as he did last season, in a collection that emphasized looks that fell askew and seemed to be unraveling. The tactic worked for Fall, and it worked again here. The strongest looks in this collection fused a sense of rigor with something unexpected—the sharp trousers with their slashed-ankle flares, the plush knits trimmed in fringe, the satin and cotton cady tailored pieces with bits of thread dangling from the hem. A crisp cotton poplin sundress featured smocking at the bust that made the piece look as though someone had seized it, suddenly, to create gathers. The clothes seemed to be in motion—falling apart, opening up, shifting on the body. At times, the effect came off studied, but for the most part, it created an appealing sense of dynamism. And in the end, that dynamism served to upend a key stereotype of boho, which is that it's a look meant for girls who like dillydallying. These clothes had places to go and things to do.
