To the tune of Chromatics’ melancholic cover of Neil Young’s ‘Into the Black’, a stream of modern-grunge separates, dresses and outerwear took to the extensive criss-cross runway – slouchy, mis-match print wonders epitomizing Young’s lyrics, ‘rock’n’roll is here to stay’. It was a particularly youthful, downright cool collection for Lim, whose signature effortlessly chic wares have in the past appealed to a more conservative clientele investing in versatile workplace-friendly day-to-night pieces.
Well, working girls step aside – for S/S13, Lim retired the desk for the dance-floor (or downtown coffee joint) with a collection of tomboy-chic 90s-inspired pieces maxing out on killer print. Leopard, check, tough florals, cheesy-cool slogans, patchwork denim – it was a pattern free-for-all in black, white, fuchsia and multi-colour that ticked all the right boxes, even when co-existing in a singular ensemble. Oversize outerwear, notably trusty wear-anywhere anoraks, and sweaters tied low and loose at the hips oozed androgynous slacker cool, while a more traditionally feminine Phillip Lim aesthetic made an appearance as reworked shirt dresses and classic LBD’s.