Fashion Profile: Phillip Lim
There are a few occasions in my line of work when I get to meet designers, movers and shakers in the industry. Recently, I attended a private event thrown by Ssense in Montreal. It was a small event to honour Phillip Lim – one of the bigger names in the fashion world presently.
The event was hosted by Ssense and was a private talk where we got to hear all about Lim’s life, his upbringing, his inspiration and so on. There was a special dinner served as well for the 20 guests invited. It was so intimate, and so to get a chance to sit and listen to Lim and then actually get the opportunity to meet and chat was incredible.
The 3.1 Phillip Lim line embodies simplicity, elegance, easy chic and youthful classics. I know that sounds super ambiguous, but if you check out some of his stuff, you’ll get it right away. He was a collaboration with The Woolmark Company which celebrates their merino collection. I’m wearing the grey wool flannel tailored blazer and mixed it with a different fabric to add texture. The black satin cargo trouser and red mini Luna slouchy hobo tote allowed me to play around with an elegant palette as well as infuse my own personal sense of style into the Lim look.
Phillip Lim came onto the scene during New York Fashion Week 2005. I think that’s pretty bold, to put it all out there like that during one of the biggest fashion events of the year – and he killed it. Together with his best friend Wen Zhou, the two young designer and entrepreneur duo brought a “cool, easy, chic” wardrobe to the modern global citizen. The brand has clothes for women, men and accessories. They’ve won 3 CFDA Awards, which p.s., is huge!
At the Ssense event, Lim talked about his cultural background and how his is the story of a first-generation North American. His mom was a seamstress and so she had big dreams for him to achieve the American dream, but much to his mother’s dismay, Lim wanted to work in the fashion industry. Well, Lim went big and shot for the stars! He got me all teary eyed when he talked about his mom wasn’t originally into the idea, but when she saw how successful and happy he was, she was so proud. He was so charming and authentic, I fell in love with him even more!
Once you get to know a person’s story, things start to fall into place. His clothes are truly a reflection of his way of thinking – he is calm by nature and so spiritual and grounded. You can feel those elements running through his collections and now that I know him a little bit more, I wear his stuff with a great sense of connection. Check out The Woolmark Company Collection – in our Canadian weather, there’s nothing more cozy than a big, warm, fluffy sweater!
Photography by Patricia Brochu