Upon viewing Phillip Lim’s spring collection, the inspiration of a floral garden would not directly come to mind. “It’s everything but the flowers,” Lim remarked at the beginning of his collection walk-through, adding that spring was designed to reflect moments in the garden, “where the bloom is about to happen.” In lieu of direct motifs, Lim displayed the message through a palette inspired by his flower and herb-filled garden in North Fork, Long Island, and grounded silhouettes that balanced romantic utility and undone ease.
An off-the-shoulder, enveloping orchid pink plissé voile wrap tunic dress encapsulated the budding feel perfectly, tucked into a silver gemstone embellished mini apron-skirt atop super wide-legged cement-toned trousers. Beyond the airy selection of plissé voile fashions, soft-structured suiting with undone straps and petal-like layers added to the natural feel while an expansive selection of knits — intriguing jacquard tops and dresses, new textural cotton and nylon blend dual-toned layers (black and blue, white and off-white, green and mustard) provided depth (as well as “one-step-solution” dressing). Meanwhile, a quintessential summer feel stemmed from soft structured separates in naive hand-painted checks and neon orange tweeds.
The garden metaphor extended beyond face-value — upside-down tulip sleeves on fern-hued recycled polyester and natural cotton-blend dress and “blooming” layered lapels on a natural cotton hooded trench — and into its roots.
Lim has been working diligently to “clean up the soil,” by furthering the company’s commitment to finding the “3.1 sustainable balance.” Spring includes more recycled materials, natural blends and reimaged resources than before. For instance, sticking to house fabrications not only kept the collection grounded but provided less of a carbon footprint.
“When you’re working with things you’re familiar with, it cuts down a lot of footprint from experiment and trial-and-error,” he explained, adding that while sustainability is certainly not only about fabrications and materials, but also editing and practices, he and his company are committed to their conscious journey ahead.
“Here, I go back to the garden: you need a balance of color, texture, and a strong foundation with strong soil. From a conceptual point of view, I think that’s where we’re headed. We’re not apologizing to make fashion, it will always be here, but how do we go back and clean up the soil?”
Not just a woman in bloom, but a company, too.
