New York Fashion Week F/W 2012: 3.1 Phillip Lim

There's a few things I learned last season in London. One, it's more difficult to cover shows than one might expect - self-imposed deadlines, running from show to show, editing photos nonstop, etc. Two, the experience at a show is immensely different from simply viewing photos and writing a review - it's a production, with music, lighting, brief written summaries of the collection. And seeing the clothing move in person is entirely distinctive. Both of these lessons are probably obvious, but still, worth noting. That said, it is hard to be fully impacted by a collection when reading another person's review and viewing secondhand photos.



Another confession: I don't look at every designer's photos. I don't have the time or patience. I have a few starting points - designers I've watched for a while, images that come up on my Tumblr dashboard, word of mouth, et cetera. Lim falls under the first category. While it is a must-see every season, I wasn't incredibly enthralled at first. And then it haunted me, in a totally benign and even delightful manner.

This collection, to be frank, is badass. Phillip Lim used the abstract idea of superheroes when designing this collection - as is evident through the capes, graphic qualities, gilded booties, translucent belts, and overall silhouettes. The inspiration of superheroes might easily lead to the cliched punchy colors with capes and tights, but Lim avoids that with sumptuous knits and sophisticated cuts. But there's an element of mystery, too, with light and dark taken in both a literal and perhaps metaphoric sense.

xox Catherine

Photos via Style.com