3.1 Phillip Lim is a label of two halves. On the one hand, there are the street style-friendly graphics, the ubiquity of which is worth practically a full order book in itself. On the other, there’s the discreetly directional everyday attire that rejuvenates the wearer’s wardrobe almost imperceptibly but quite brilliantly.
 
For autumn 14, the former was present in bags emblazoned with the motifs ‘totes amaze’ and ‘cash only’, which raised wry smiles from the congregated press and the hearbeats of any bloggers present. The latter, meanwhile, formed the basis of the collection.
 
Utilitarian separates in denim and chunky knit would fit into any wardrobe, and they felt both cleverly current and contemporarily classic: graphic printed jeans, shearling cropped jackets, chunky knits with exaggerated sleeves and cable details, and an interestingly stepped hem version of a denim jacket.
 
But the wearability and nonchalance of those pieces shouldn't belie the work that has gone into them – this, Lim contributes so his customer doesn't have to. He's proficient at producing pieces that seem to have styling quirks in-built, such as high-waisted gabardine trousers that need only be teamed with a simple T-shirt for an instant workwear update. Similarly, foamy-looking bomber jackets with exaggerated dropped shoulders and windowpane check tailoring looked familiar but subtly different from the other versions on the market.
 
The real test of his skill, that ability to imbue even simple pieces with a certain attitude, came with a series of satin dresses cut high on the waist like pinafores and with circle skirts. These were satin, bonded with strips of gabardine that gave them unique fit and movement, both fluid but stiff, swirling around the body but standing away from it too. And they were ingeniously easy to wear.
 
There are two types of fashion at the moment: the status buys that you recognise immediately and want, and the staples you see other people wearing well, and wonder where they came from. It’s a rare designer who can manage both at a high level, but Phillip Lim seems to have nailed it.