NYFW 2023: The city of New York is currently experiencing a season of revival, as evidenced by the recent return of Phillip Lim to the runway with his 3.1 Phillip Lim brand during New York Fashion Week. This marked his first show in the city since 2019, and it was met with great enthusiasm from a celebrity-filled front row. The spring/summer 2024 collection presented during the show was nothing short of stunning.
In the show notes, the designer expressed his gratitude to those who attended the event, stating that it was a βhumble and heartfelt THANK YOU for joining me in Chinatownβ for the brandβs first runway show in four years. The audience responded with an uproarious ovation at the close of the show.
Lim went on to reflect on the reasons why his brand had continued to show without truly showing up, and how they had aimed to feed fleeting desire at an increasingly impossible pace. He acknowledged the ambiguous demand amidst the horizonβs sea change that they had ignored as if it would go away, but it never did. In fact, by natureβs force, it all came to a standstill.
The front row was filled with celebrities from various areas of the entertainment industry, including comedians, actors, singers, artists, and NBA players. The group of talent at the show played into the ethos of Limβs newest collection, which drew inspiration from the brandβs love story with the ever-evolving tapestry of New York.
The fashion brandβs diversity was front and center, starting with the models, who were of varying ages, backgrounds, and sizes. The designer aimed to illuminate an inclusive beauty that aligned with their community and brandβs core values, transcending age, race, and gender. Lim also celebrated the Eastern beauty-bearers who led the flock of models down the runway.
The collection featured mainly neutrals with a couple of bright pops of color, expert tailoring, sheer and flowy ensembles, and bejeweled tops and dresses. The jewels on the clothes carried over into the shoes, including mules and mesh Mary Janes, which Lim wrote was their homage to βChinese slippers,β a testament to the many that made this space for them possible.
