In his works Pierres (Stones) and L'Écriture des pierres (The Writing of Stones), Roger Caillois wrote about stones that appear to depict landscapes, glyphic writing, or just a beautiful pattern.
The French intellectual and writer who was associated for a period of his life with Surrealism, was overcome not just by the beauty of stones, but also by their philosophical significance: according to him, stones possess gravitas, something ultimate and unchanging, and they are very mysterious since they stand outside history, representing the primordial.
Many of the stones he wrote about were taken from his own extensive collection. The latter, held at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris (some pieces are currently exhibited at the 55th International Venice Art Biennale) features over one hundred rare and well sourced specimens. Some of these stones have beautiful patterns and Caillois stated in his works that their forms were actually examples of a cryptic universal syntax. The wonder of the mineral world which inspired Roger Caillois, also fascinated Phillip Lim.
3.1 Phillip Lim's Spring/Summer 2014 collection - showcased on a runway covered in salt crystals – was indeed conceived as an ode to stones and minerals. The geode, a spherical rock formation with a core containing inner lining of crystals projecting inward or layers of concentric banding, triumphed a bit everywhere in the collection, being reinterpreted in various ways.
Decorative effects and embroidered motifs appliqued on organza were employed to mimick the internal patterns of geodes; marble-like prints and cracked suede vests reproduced instead their plain limestone exterior; surface manipulations on knits and appliqued fringes called to mind the structure of more rough stones, while glittering metallic fabrics hinted at more precious minerals or at the rich colours of halved and open geodes.
Silhouettes remained urban and included sharp pants and functional boxy jackets, suede vests, and organza bombers. The colour palette - including bright blues, yellows and ochres - were also reminiscent of the mineral world, and so were the shoulder bags in a crackled pattern.
You may argue that, as a whole, the collection wasn't extremely new, but the main inspiration was carried out in a coherent way (and there weren't too many coherent collections during New York Fashion Week - think Rodarte...). While keeping his main inspiration firmly in mind, the designer also managed to avoid being too literal in his exploration of the mineral and stone world, and this allowed him to provide enough pieces (in particular the designs inspired by geode formations) with commercial appeal.
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