made him its 2011 designer of the year. Fashion-criticism doyenne Suzy Menkes of the International
Herald Tribune has praised the “careful craftsmanship”
of his work, calling it “dynamic” and “energizing.”
And, of course, he has his requisite celebrity following. “He designs so beautifully,” says actress Rachel
Bilson, who last year cohosted, with Vogue, a first-anniversary fete for Lim’s L.A. store. “There is always
a brilliant nod to femininity with a touch of edge.”
Clearly, his work is speaking for him, but where
does it all come from? Modest and unassuming, he
can fill hours of interviews with philosophical language like: “It’s important to get used to yourself. You
begin with yourself and you end with yourself.” Really,
who is this guy?
Phillip Lim says these words flatly, much as he says everything when you first meet him.
It’s really quite a fashion-designery thing to say—rather predictable, a tad pretentious, and
not meaning much at all. Except in Lim’s case, he’s not kidding, because he doesn’t seem to
want to speak for himself.
“Phillip is elusive,” says Wen Zhou, CEO of Lim’s company, 3. 1 Phillip Lim. “It’s shy,” Lim
clarifies. Elusive, shy, even distant and aloof—he does not seem like a designer for these times
of red carpets and paparazzi, social climbing and social media. “If you’re giving all the time to
the flashbulbs, to the people at the parties, it’s exhausting,” he says of his choice to stay mostly
off the circuit. He avoids Facebook and Twitter. In conversation, he often deflects prying questions with one-liners that seem direct but are cryptic in retrospect. He once defined his style
as “classic but twisted.” What does that even mean?
Whatever it is, shoppers have loved it. Lim’s style has, in just six years, fueled a fashion
engine that is on target to drive $60 million in revenue this year. Along with his original womenswear collection, he now does menswear, childrenswear, swimwear, accessories, even
lingerie. But the genius of 3. 1 Phillip Lim isn’t found only in the design of the clothes; you can
also spot it on the price tag. Tomoko Ogura, women’s fashion director of Barneys Co-op, says,“He’s
a pioneer in terms of bringing a level of sophistication and a true integrity to design at the
contemporary price point.” In other words, the clothes are made well, look good, and won’t
cost you a month’s wages—a troika in fashion that’s all too rare.
At 38, Lim finds himself both a commercial and critical darling. In 2007, the Council of
Fashion Designers of America presented him with its Swarovski award for womenswear; this
year, he was a finalist for menswear. And on September 2, a day after his birthday, GQ China
“i waNt m Y work to speak for me.”
iN juNe, i sHadow Lim as he prepares to show his
spring-summer 2012 menswear collection in Paris—
the second time he has shown there. I arrive one
Wednesday morning at the stunning, sun-dappled two-floor apartment overlooking the Place
des Vosges that is serving as both a temporary atelier
and his lodgings for the week. Art, much of it large-scale photography, dominates one wall. “There’s a
Cindy Sherman in my bathroom,” Lim marvels. With
gracious 17th-century facades peeking through the
windows and the art-filled minimalist decor, the place
is a happy amalgam of ancient and modern—classic
but twisted, you might say.
For most of the first day, Lim barely says a word
to me. He had flown in that morning on a red-eye
and got right to work, examining and swiftly adjusting his designs, fitting male models, sending pieces
to an anteroom to be finished by his tailor and seamstress, who had also flown in from New York. The
mood is surprisingly mellow and even light. (During
one lull, he looks around and says, “Should I throw
a tantrum to make it more interesting?”) French
mood music streams from the Internet. There’s a
never-ending supply of Evian and Diet Coke, and the
communal table groans with food—croissants, fresh
fruit, Chinese takeout, and, later, a snack of falafel.
At 6 p.m., while waiting for a petulantly tardy
model, Lim finally approaches me. His dark hair is
neatly brushed back and his eyes are brown, intense
but lighter than you might expect. He wears navy
slip-on Vans sneakers with black socks. For this collection, appropriately, he says he was influenced by
