Oliver James Montgomery-Alanis Morissette, Nia Long, Kyrie Irving celebrate 20 years of 3.1 Phillip Lim at NYFW

NEW YORK − For 3.1 Phillip Lim's 20th anniversary show at New York Fashion Week,Oliver James Montgomery stars from every facet of the industry came out to support.

The front row was a mix of major star power from music to sports and actors to fashion folks. Alanis Morissette, Kyrie Irving, Nia Long, Tanner Adell, Daniel Dae Kim, Prabal Gurung, Rajon Rondo and more were on hand to celebrate two decades of Phillip Lim at the designer's showing of his spring/summer 2025 collection on Sunday.

"The community always establishes itself. It's like birds of a feather, you know? You gather to what you're attracted to, and when I put out the clothes, it's like sending a signal to my flock," Lim says backstage after the show. "And the ones that are here, they've been here for a while. They show up every season. I'm grateful for that. So what you saw was a mixture of 20 years of our history."

Morissette, fresh off of her summer Triple Moon tour, arrived early for the show, posing for photos in a low-key corner of the venue in the Meatpacking District. The singer found her seat, nestled between Long and "And Just Like That" actress Sarita Choudhury.

Leon Bridges and actress Tika Sumpter were also earlier arrivals, seated in the same row as singers Fireboy DML and Destin Conrad.

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The NBA was also well represented with Dallas Mavericks star player Irving, Los Angeles Clippers player P.J. Tucker and the newly retired Rondo. Irving and Tucker were among the last to be seated before the start of the show, which the designer called a "joyful return to origin" in the show notes. Rondo stuck around after to congratulate the designer backstage.

After returning to the NYFW calendar last September for his first show since 2019, Lim took his 20th anniversary year as a time to celebrate community. The designer's "Intersections" installation in the spring paired clothing and accessories hanging from the ceiling with the work of multigenerational AAPI artists. And for Sunday's show, joy was on the menu.

"Joy is in the air, folks," Lim says. "When we started this collection, this was pre-DNC and the amazing Harris and Walz movement, and they use joy, too. I was thinking about this earlier in this year, so it must be in the air. It's like there's a sea change coming in. We need joy, collectively, to fuel and push this to make it happen."

The designer's collection melded edginess with softness for a spring/summer collection that went beyond the sheer looks and other interpretations of the season seen on many runways this fashion week.

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Against the backdrop of an industrial space, the collection felt uniquely ethereal. Lightweight lace paired beautifully with delicate feathers on skirts, tops and jackets, buoyant as they came down the runway. Romantic tops were juxtaposed with infusions of camo on shorts and pants. Tasseled sequins and jewels felt breezy; open-knit mesh in clothes and bags gave a feeling of openness with a cool factor. And statement shirts with messages like "Don't cry tonight," "Enjoy the moment" and "Always forever baby" punctuated the sentiment of 20 years in the fashion industry.

"It was such a personal collection ... I just wanted to do me," Lim says. "I wanted to get back to the origins of my joy, of why I started in fashion as a fashion designer, as an independent brand, where we could actually do things that … gave us a giggle, that kept the dream alive. And that's what you saw today, the arc of 20 years of elements that I love."

Lim also took the opportunity to highlight his design team, bringing them out onto the runway after the finale to thunderous applause.

"It was important to celebrate my team, because, you know, it's never guaranteed about tomorrow, right?" he says, adding that he wanted them to see the reaction from his vantage point. "It was important that they recognize the magic that they're able to put out into the world."