This past week marked Philip Lim’s heavily anticipated return to the world of New York Fashion Week after a four-year long hiatus.
The event, titled “Meet Me at Bowery and Canal” was a preview of the 3.1 Phillip Lim’s Women’s Ready-To-Wear Spring/Summer 2024 collection, inspired by Lim’s most recent take on the “New York Uniform.”
The Show
The fashion show took place within the historic Canal Arcade, a multi-unit structure originally built in 1973, now a Chinatown landmark. Fans of Lim gathered outside on the sidewalk as early as an hour before the show with iPhones and DSLR cameras in hand, eager to catch snaps of those invited to the show, other well-dressed fans or better yet, Phillip Lim himself. Unbeknownst to many, they would be out of luck—show-goers were instructed to enter on the opposite entrance on Elizabeth Street. After checking in, attendees were taken to the elevator where they walked into the large room with its floor to ceiling windows, transformed for an afternoon of fashion.
After being greeted by the paparazzi, guests mingled throughout the space, making pit stops at the Baileys bar, featuring their brand-new chocolate cream liqueur, where they could choose between a Baileys chocolate mocha martini, chocolate raspberry martini, and the chilled “chocolate shake” (a serving of the chocolate liqueur poured neat over ice). Mingling attendees included It Girls Coco Jones, Jeannie Mai, Karreuche Tran, Teyana Taylor, Kimora Lee Simmons (who wore an exclusive Phillip Lim piece), New York society staples Nicki and Kathy Hilton, and the esteemed former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Elaine Welteroth. After grabbing their Baileys martinis, guests found their seats and eagerly waited for the show to begin.
The seats were laid out in sets of benches, with long stretches of runway in between, allowing the models to make turns and give everyone in the audience a look at the outfits no matter their place in the venue. A booming synth beat composed by French sound designer Sebastien Perrin accompanied the models as they strutted down, across, and back up the looping runway. The looks were presented in sets ranging from satin sets in solids as well as stripes, sheer dresses with floral embroidery and without, and khaki styled into jumpsuits, midi skirts and dresses with matching jackets to name a few. What was particularly refreshing to see was the use of the “mature” models—proving 3.1 Phillip Lim is a line made for everybody.
At the end of the show, Philip came out and gave his thanks, with the biggest token of gratitude given to his sister—who he met at the middle of the runway with a big, enveloping hug before moving on to give his regards to the rest of the audience.
The Afterparty
The Sunday night rainstorm rolling through New York City didn’t keep these fashion week goers from celebrating Lim’s accomplishments. The afterparty was held at Bangkok Supper Club, a new Thai restaurant in the West Village. The bar was stocked with bottles of liquor-substitute Seedlip, Don Julio tequila, and Baileys Chocolate Cream Liqueur and Thai-influenced hors d’oeuvres were passed around throughout the night. DJ Mei Kwok spun a range of tracks varying from Janet Jackson’s “All For You” to Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own.” Attendees even got to celebrate with Phillip Lim himself, cheering to an objectively triumphant return to the New York Fashion Week runway.
View the above gallery for photos and video from inside the Phillip Lim NYFW SS24 Show and Afterparty.
