He then took a small internship at a small clothing label. He always loves clothes, he says, but he never considered a career in fashion until he began designing women's clothes for an L.A.-based line called Development in 1999 (2010). In 2004, he went to Manhattan to start his own label and he named it 3.1 Phillip Lim -- the numbers were a play on his age at the time. He says that at the time it felt like the "doors were always just waiting to open for me" (Dorment 2010). His first few season were only women's wear, because he knew women's clothing best and he garnered all sorts of praise, but he had always wanted to do a men's line. He says that was always a part of the plan (2010). In January of 2010, Lim came out with his first line of men's wear.

Lim's collections are so special because they are very luxurious, but they always have a twist, and they are not priced in the stratosphere. He specializes in floaty and flirty dresses, tailored jackets and coats, and there is always a great attention...

He received the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund nomination just one year after he launched his 3.1 collection. In 2007, he also won the CFDA Swarovski award along with Thakoon Panichgul and Rodarte (Elle 2010). He has said that his clothes are about refining as opposed to defining (2010). "A refinement that's a bit classic in attitude but imparts a sense of individual style, without looking or feeling forced. Confident, unidentifiable, chic, and most of all effortless" (2010).
Works Cited

Dorment, Richard. "Is Phillip Lim the Most Interesting Designer in America?" Esquire.

Accessed on October 31, 2010: http://www.esquire.com/style/philip-lim-bio-0210

Elle. "3.1 Phillip Lim." Elle. Accessed on October 31, 2010:

http://www.elle.com/Fashion/Designer-Files/3.1-Phillip-Lim

NY Mag. "Phillip Lim." NY Mag. Accessed on October 30, 2010:

http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/designers/bios/philliplim/