In his West Street hang out, Phillip Lim's 3.1 collection started beautifully with loose brown leather trousers and a tweed jacket with neoprene sleeves. It only got better. Midnight blue silk dresses sported brown leather sleeves, wool coats came with a thin nylon layer on top and camel coats were crowned with an over sized bow tie at the top. But it wasn't all about subtle glam; a beige shawl collared ribbed knitwear cardigan impressed, and there was a floral print on dresses and skirts that broke up the green, beige and brown palette. The theme of mixing fabrics in continued; we were treated to silk/latex and fur/leather combos, while the show was closed with a few flowing silk dresses. All in all this was a masterful Lim outing and a crash course in how to beautifully merge two different materials into one coherent piece of sartorial bliss. 

Dazed Digital: What was the red thread running through the collection? 
Phillip Lim: It's very simple, the question we asked ourselves was 'how does she get places on her bike?' That was the grinding machine. We though of all the amazing and chic women that rides a bike and what kinda wardrobe they need.

DD: That sort of implies that functionality was important..
Phillip Lim: Always. I think that's the modern code, right? No one has time these days and when you're lacking in time you have to be pragmatic about everything - but you can never sacrifice form and elegance.

DD: So the collection set out to find the balance between style and functionality?
Phillip Lim: Yes, and what we got was a graphic that is round. Imagine a girl on the bike, the wind is blowing - it's a machine she's on but at the same time you feel the emotion that trails from behind so we tried and capture that in the roundness and the silhouette. 

DD: I liked the pieces with a different fabric in the sleeves, be it leather or neoprene...
Phillip Lim: Yeah, it's a hint to the future and a nod to the past while making it relevant to the present. These are not new materials but a lot of research went into finding these fabrics, like the bonded silk fused with synthetic fibres and neoprene that would act like silk etc...

DD: What's the story behind those massive pleats on the trousers?
Phlillip Lim: We looked at Japanese and Mexican gangs and that fold is inspired by the Mexican ones while the print is influenced by Japanese Yakuza Geishas...

DD: Is there a piece that stands out to you...
Phlilip Lim: I have a different favourite every single day of the week...

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