Gritty Pretty With Phillip Lim

The Pretty Gritty with Phillip Lim

Q&A with Phillip Lim

By Eleanor Pendleton from Gritty Pretty

Over the past 14 seasons, cosmetics brand NARS has supported 3.1 Phillip Lim on the runway during New York Fashion Week. Now, the two join forces to reveal a limited edition nail collection: 3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS.

The collection, which is sure to be snapped up quick, includes eight limited edition shades and is inspired by the “colours that exist in the shadows”. Rich jewel tones and contrasting neutrals in a long-lasting formula, with a high-gloss finish, evoke the modern mood of the season, while a covetable canvas pochette, designed exclusively for NARS, perfectly fits the season’s well-edited nail wardrobe.

Ultimately, the “go-to colours” combine Lim’s signature style with NARS’ iconic and audacious beauty philosophy.

Here, the 40-year-old American-Chinese designer – whose designs are worn by Diane Kruger, Jessica Alba and Alexa Chung among others – chats exclusively about the collaboration:

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO WORK WITH NARS? WHAT DREW YOU TO THE BRAND?

I’ve always appreciated the aesthetic of NARS as a whole. For me, I’m attracted to everything about NARS, the packaging, the graphics and the sense of luxury that isn’t too ostentatious. It’s so modern and luxurious, which is very on par with the 3.1 Phillip Lim universe.

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAKEUP AND FASHION?

I think they both play a role in formulating the character that you want to be. Every day you get up, you feel a mood, you dress for that mood, and then you finish it off with makeup, nails and accessories.

When you pair your nail colour with a bag or your clothes, it becomes kind of like a mirror, like an art piece. It can change the colour completely.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE FINAL COLOURS YOU SELECTED FOR THE COLLECTION? HOW DO THEY TIE INTO YOUR A/W 2014 COLLECTION?

I call them ‘colours that exist in the shadows’ because, at first glance, you see one colour in the daylight and at night, you see another colour. It also depends on what you wear. They are very transitional, very adaptable. I like colours that you can actually discover.

To me, these colours are the essential 3.1 Phillip Lim colours. These are my colours. The colours that constantly inspire me, they are constantly threaded in everything  I do. Every single shade or colour has appeared in the collections for the whole history of the company. They are my go-to colours.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE COLOUR PALETTE?

It’s not the typical palette. You wouldn’t think of pairing these colours together in a collection, but each shade has its own emotional value. For example, bringing in that crazy metallic blue and pairing it with burnt orange; or antique white and black.