Blackburn + Sweetzer Has Moved

Phillip Lim at LACMA; click to expand

— Text and photos by Lilliam Rivera

It’s always a great thrill to sneak a peek into the creative process of an artist you admire. Yesterday morning, LACMA’s Costume Council played host to designer and California-bred Phillip Lim as he discussed his recent Picasso-inspired Spring 2010 collection. The designer also screened for the first time a behind-the-scenes video of the making of his finale dress.

The Bing Theater was packed with fashion students and Lim clientele. Lim’s own mother was also in the audience. At arriving, the former seamstress became so emotional she started to cry. I think we all wanted to adopt her. Los Angeles Times Image editor Booth Moore took to the stage with Lim to ask the questions. The highlights after the jump!

Discussing Picasso, celeb designers, his evolutionary approach, his spring ‘10 suit, that finale dress…

On the importance of Picasso:
It was a chance encounter with his late works at the Gagosian Gallery. I was ignorant of his work. To me, the work said, “I’m ok. I have to celebrate where I am.” I felt like the world was collapsing at that time and this is what inspired the collection. As designers, we are servants to the community.

His Spring 2010 suit:
I’m not a revolutionary designer. I’m more evolutionary. The suit I designed is more like a shirt-dress where she could tuck it in to pants. And the fabric is made of this new polyester blend that can be machine-washed.

On the ease of his designs:
That comes from my California side. It’s a little bit of fantasy, a whole lot of reality.

On cheap chic:
It became such a trend. I selected collaborations (Uniqlo and Birkenstock) and I enjoyed the experience. But now I want to do what I do but in my own way. Maybe not cheap but affordable. I buy my clothes in bulk. I wear them day in and day out. Disposable clothes are kind of gross.

On celebrity designers:
For myself, I’m not a celeb. I’m a dressmaker. I make clothes. I used to be the next hot thing. Now I’m the old man. But that’s OK. Sometimes there is “nothing next.”

On what he finds gratifying:
Two points. When my team and I understand each other. And when someone walks in the store, tries something on and says wow.

On social media:
Everyone is a critic. It is our choice on how much info is sent out there. I feel it’s OK to keep a little back, to keep the mystery alive.

On his version of the finale runway dress:
It’s about cross-category dressing. I wanted to break down the notion of the traditional wedding dress. This is a kind of dress that you can wear to your wedding, to your friend’s wedding, as a cocktail dress. It is 75 percent hand-assembled and it took about five people four days to make it. It will retail for just $2000.

Lim’s finale dress