A year after the debut of his intimate line, Phillip Lim Initials, the designer is expanding to lounge wear that's both sensual and street-ready.
The lingerie-as-outerwear trend has been swirling about in various incantations of vintage-inspired, sex-charged and diaphanous pieces mixed with plain old ready-to-wear in the most inventive ways, and Lim is joining that charge in a major way.
The designer has expanded his wildly successful line of underpinnings -- apparently he prefers "underpinning" over "intimates" as the latter increasingly becomes a misnomer in its exposure -- from five to 34 styles for fall, including harem pants a cropped kimono Lim calls a "kimini", rich knitwear, swing camis and robes and filmy tees, with ribbon and ruffle detailing and motifs of stud-sprinkled galaxies, watercolor florals and pops of mesh throughout.
The pieces are set at wholesale prices between $32-$215 (making the higher end of the spectrum quite high, indeed) and will launch as part of a distinct offshoot label unto itself. Other changes in the works for the maturing designer include the redesign of his NYC boutique to match the aesthetic of flagships in LA and Seoul -- think modern industrial with concrete and spikes -- and a streamlined update for his Garment District studio.
