New York Fashion Week: Tory Burch and Phillip Lim have 'everything a girl needs'

"Everything a girl needs." That's what I overheard a guest saying about the Tory Burch presentation, but it could just as well have described Phillip Lim's collection. Both designers are champions of the new bridge market that is a bright spot at retail, offering high style at not-so-high prices (mostly less than $1,000).

Burch, who is known for her 1970s WASP look, said her spring line was about "effortless dressing," and "Alexander Calder meets William Eggleston."

That translated into lots of versatile pieces for would-be socialites, including glove leather cargo pants; a tie-dye leather miniskirt; a navy striped knit blazer; a sand, sun-yellow and gold-hued loose knit sweater; beaded envelope clutches and natural suede, side-buckled moccasin booties.

You could almost hear the cash register going ka-ching as Phillip Lim's models walked down the runway. His show may not have been the week's most exciting, but it ticked off the trends all right, from the color red (a saucy lipstick-red mackintosh) to featherweight leather (a draped-front, caramel leather skirt), to feminine frills (on a natural-colored jacket with a ruffled body, cutaway back and ribbon closures) to the new pants ("guru" pants with a fold-over knit waist, worn with a double-breasted shirt jacket as a new kind of suit).

Lim’s takes on multimedia, collage dresses were nicely done, too, with sculptural accordion pleating, draped lace and sequin panels.

-- Booth Moore

Photos: Tory Burch spring-summer 2010 runway

Photos: 3.1 Phillip Lim spring-summer 2010 runway

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Store events: Spend July 18 with Phillip Lim [Updated]

Phillip Lim returns to Los Angeles on July 18 to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his West Coast 3.1 flagship and invites shoppers and fans to spend the afternoon with him. [Updated 3 p.m.: An earlier version of this article and its headline incorrectly said that the event would be this Saturday.]

Lim will showcase his fall 3.1 Phillip Lim collection for women, men and kids, as well as accessories. Of note: his new breakaway coats for women. “You can wear them buttoned up by day and then at night you can unbutton the bottom section for an edgier feel,” he advises. “Two-in-one look, perfect for this economy.”

Browsers can also preview and pre-order from the holiday and resort collections. The first 100 buyers will receive a tote bag Lim designed for the event, packed with goodies from Nars Cosmetics and Frederic Fekkai. The new 3.1 shoe collection, exclusive to the West Hollywood store on the West Coast, features jazz flats and studded ankle boots ($410 to $750).

A portion of the proceeds from purchases goes to the Art of Elysium, an organization that encourages working actors, artists and musicians to share their talents with children battling serious medical conditions.

NYFW review: 3.1 Phillip Lim's fall 2009 collection

The fantastic thing about a Phillip Lim collection is that no matter what the big idea is, almost anyone can find something to wear.

This season, Lim embraced fashion's well-worn rock theme, complete with live music from the band Lissy Trullie. That meant a cream doubleface wool "H:endrix" coat, a ruffled "dandy blouse," and a darling black-and-white rabbit print crinkled chiffon dress. Get it?

A Sgt. Pepper jacket was emblazoned with gold braiding, as you'd expect, and wispy (Celia) "Birtwell" dress in a black burnout floral with a charming beaded yoke.

But the magic is in picking apart the looks and finding versatile pieces such as a copper-foiled shearling bomber jacket, a goat fur vest with crystals at the shoulders, and a dusty rose crepe scalloped hem dress with Art Deco beading--- all of which, you know, will be priced to move. Special and affordable, that's Lim's designing genius.

-- Booth Moore

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Photo credit: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

NYFW: Live music as the perfect catwalk accessory

It’s interesting that, even with the economy as bad as it is and even though building a runway soundtrack requires nothing more than opposable thumbs and an iPod, some designers will choose to spend their dollars on live music to accompany their shows.

The thought first crossed our minds Tuesday when the Diesel Black Gold show at the Bryant Park tents kicked off with a silhouetted trumpet solo behind a curtain, which soon dropped to reveal a full-on jazz quartet that goes by the name of the Last Minute Orchestra. (We shouldn’t have been too surprised. The invitations were printed on paper that looked like sheet music).

That same night, over at the Hammerstein Ballroom, G-Star Raw’s always-entertaining show was accompanied by a flotilla of musicians, also behind a curtain (though from where we sat, all we could see were two women facing off over back-to-back baby grand pianos.)

The next afternoon, a New York-based quartet called Lissy Trullie rocked its way through the 3.1 Phillip Lim runway show from the top of the catwalk, as fog swirled around the musicians' feet.
The live accompaniment certainly didn’t change the way the clothes looked on the runway, and may not affect the size of the orders the buyers from Nordstrom or Barneys New York may write, but it did accomplish one very important thing –- it underscored the special shared-experience feeling of these shows. That's something that tends to get lost in the “remind-me-again-why-we’re-here?” bi-annual trudgeathon through Manhattan, especially when  photos, videos and front-row Twitter feeds circle the globe before the people in the seats have made it to the lobby.

Now if I could just download 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2009 to my iPod, I’d be all set.

-- Adam Tschorn

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Photo: The Last Minute Orchestra, performing at the Diesel Black Gold show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Feb. 17, 2009. Credit: Peter Stigter / Jonas Gustavsson

Adventures in gift giving: Phillip Lim dog sweaters

Dog clothes have always kind of annoyed me. The scratchy tutus Paris Hilton shoves on her chihuahua or all the dogs I saw running around on Halloween dressed as clowns or bumblebees. Dog outfits seem cumbersome for the pup and much more exciting for the owner than the animal.  But just this week I changed my tune, after seeing Phillip Lim’s new line of dog sweaters.  They’re adorable, understated and actually look really warm for those brisk morning walks. 

Lim is making cashmere dog sweaters, inspired by his dog and muse -- a French bulldog named Oliver.  The sweaters are $150, come in gray, navy stripe and bubblegum, and come in sizes extra small to large. If you want to make it a complete gift set, the sweater plus a red leather collar and leash is $375.

Maybe Lim’s Fall '09 show will have sweater-wearing dogs alongside models on the runway? They’ll be trendsetting dogs, ridding the animal world of all the over-the-top costumes and uncomfortable outfits … because even when it comes to dogs, subtle is stylish. 

Available at the 3.1 Phillip Lim boutique, 631 North Robertson Blvd., L.A., CA 90069

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photo: Navy stripe sweater as modeled by Oliver Credit: 3.1 Phillip Lim

One-piece wonder

What is it about a jumpsuit that’s just so darn cute?

Are they a reminder of those cute footy pajamas we wore as kids? Or are they just more stylish and less predictable than the standard T-shirt and jeans, blouse and skirt combos?

Whatever the motivation, many designers were inspired to do jumpsuits for spring. Proenza Schouler sent down all-white jumpsuits with hard lines and leather bondage-style straps that crossed on the back. Phillip Lim took a softer route and did one in a smoky blue with a gentle tie waist.  The most classic styles were in Ralph Lauren-structured black with strong shoulders and blazer lapels and a creamy ivory satin suit that looked as lithe and luxurious as any of his gorgeous evening gowns.

But the surprise came from Tadashi, a designer generally known for doing evening dresses and bridal party ensembles. He sent out royal blue short-alls (like a jumpsuit, but with short pants) with a ruffled halter neck. It was a one-piece little number that was not only totally unexpected from him, but it actually looked good.

We won’t be surprised to see bridesmaids in matching jumpsuits and short-alls next summer.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos top to bottom: Ralph Lauren, Phillip Lim, Proenza Schouler. Photo credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times