Staged on a scarlet runway edged by mirrors at its mouth, the 3.1 phillip lim Spring 2010 show featured the best of the designer's two sides: wearable, slightly preppy classics and jazzed up experiments in artistic high fashion, with intricately crafted swaths of sequins, shimmer, lace and psychedelic pleating.
These were certainly clothes worthy of an audience, and the show welcomed an A-list one in the front row. Rachel Bilson, Alexa Chung, Lauren Conrad and Olivia Thirlby helped to cement Lim's reputation as a highly sought-after brand by the ingenue set within the It Girl category. The collection, like the group of girls, offered both crowd-pleasing sunshine and darker depth. Red, interestingly, became a neutral at the show, popping up on suits and in oversized clutches and ankle booties.
We think Lim is well on his way toward iconic designer status himself, because he offers a thrill without the risk: swirling textured pleats in eye-popping color add an element of surprise to an otherwise basic dress, but they're soft edges without going overboard, so no harm done. Kind of like playing with fire and not getting burned.
