3.1 Phillip Lim Womenswear A/W10

You wouldn't immediately read disco or punk from Phillip Lim's collection but his starting point developed into a faint spirit that the clothes would carry as opposed to becoming a literal theme that would dictate the aesthetics. Lim concentrated on honing it all down into essentials that cleansed the palette without losing any interest. Era wise, the late 70s informed the first portion of the show where swinging capes, flared trousers and easy breezy jackets floated by effortlessly. This then toughened up into an animal print trouser suit and slowly, the glitterball came falling down by way of purple sequinned dresses, cut assymetrically, gold lame trousers. Finally smatterings of embellishment graced a blush dress paired with nubbly boucle as well as a finale pink draped dress with bedazzled sleeves.

Dazed Digital: What were you inspired by?
Phillip Lim: This was a disco punk party. I imagined a time between disco and punk and I imagined a disco party where the crystal ball drops and disco-goers collapse due to hedonism and exhaustion. This magical girl appears in the night from the shadows and she runs onto the dancefloor and steals a gown and runs off into the night.
Then she realises it's too glamourous for her so she cuts her dress. She runs and it's cut by the wind. Just to remove the debris and the excess but then she realises that all the glitter can never be removed. So that was an ode to the baroque embellishments that we unveiled towards the end.

It was also pushing it cutting it, crafting it with all the layering of geometric shapes. There's depth without the heft.
The first opening look was an ode to punk - the criss cross straps, the mohair, the oversized plaid - it's kind of like ska-punk. Then to me, how you finish it off is with elegance. Elegance is futile.

DD: Any icons you were looking at with this collection
Phillip Lim: Blondie! The make-up inspiration definitely. Even in the chaos and violence in the musical scene she always remained beautiful and egnimatic, a glowing rose.

DD: If you could sum up your collection in one line?
Phillip Lim: It is paring down the essence without removing the poetry.

Visit our Entire New York Fashion Week coverage »»