We asked fashion designer Phillip Lim — who recently hosted a Lunar New Year celebration in partnership with Hennessy — about the luxurious face cream, all-purpose gardening clogs, and cozy cashmere socks he can’t live without.
I’ve been using the Cream since they first launched it. I was fortunate enough to be a test recipient, and it was instantly love at first contact. Men’s skin care is very particular, because you want something that protects you, but with no fuss and no odor. It keeps the skin hydrated without being greasy. I use it year-round because it’s a perfect weight for both warmer and cooler climates. When you put this cream on, it just feels like a dream. It feels like your skin finally found home.
I’m always looking for luxurious, supersoft socks that are not too thin and not too thick. These Calzedonia ones I found are a blend of cashmere and wool, and they straddle that line between casual and dress, which is really hard to find. They also come in charcoal and heather gray, so they don’t look so “business guy,” but they also don’t look too athletic. They strike that perfect balance and they feel so good on. The more you wear it, it just gets more molded to your feet. They become like your favorite sweater. I throw them in the washing machine too, which is an added bonus because usually you can’t do that. But actually, you don’t want to wash them all the time, because wool and cashmere are naturally antibacterial fibers. After I wear them, I’ll wring them out a bit, just shake them out, and then lay them out in the sun, and it’s fresh again.
I wear these slippers both indoors and outdoors. If you’re dragging them in the streets every single day, then they tend to wear down because it’s a leather sole; I think the intention is more to be worn like gentlemen’s slippers at home. But I wear them outdoors anyways. They’re my early-summer-to-late-fall slippers. I wear them for dinners, I wear them with shorts, I wear them with sweatpants. I even wear them on the red carpet sometimes. There’s something about the lack of weight — when you slip into this, it’s super comfortable. It’s good for your feet too, because it’s really the closest thing you get to your actual foot being on the ground, but with a layer of protection. I love the shape — they just look great, the proportions. It’s almost like a men’s ballet flat. And they’re super affordable too.
Dries Van Noten’s whole series of scents are quite innovative. This one in particular is patchouli and cannabis, which is really a fascinating combination. You don’t really hear those ingredients in scents normally, but they work like a dream. It’s earthy, woodsy, spicy, and very green. What’s nice is it evolves over time too, and it just feels very fresh and sexy. I guess those would be the two words I would use to describe it. I’ve worn this for a couple years now, it’s my go-to scent, and boys and girls always stop me to ask what it is. Every time I get in a cab, the cab driver is like, Okay, I gotta ask you. I hope it doesn’t sound creepy, but what are you wearing?
I have four pairs. I have them in this royal blue. I have them in clementine, which is the orange. I have white ones that are super chic, but they’re sold out constantly. And I have a pair of navy ones that I’m literally wearing right now. What’s incredible about them is the way they’re built: it’s a full rubber-injection construction, and then there’s a removable cork insole. So when it gets dirty, you remove the cork insole and rinse it down and it looks brand-new. I do everything in these clogs, from gardening to traveling to walking around the city. They’re amazing for airports because you just slide them off, no unlacing involved. It’s heavy-duty, so it protects your toes from potential accidents. The shape is really great for dressing up as well. Everyone wears those chunky Bottega rubber mules — these are the Italian clog version, but for $78.
This a collectible, highly, highly rare fireplace chair. When you buy collectible furniture, especially of this type of mid-century provenance, you want furniture made by cabinetmakers, not just designers. This chair was created by a famous cabinetmaker, Gustav Bertelsen. It is super rare. I’ve had this chair for maybe 10 or 11 years, and it holds up. The shape is perfect. The proportions are compact. It’s really, truly designed by craftsmen who not only understand how a chair is made, but also how it fits a body in a living situation. It’s a beautiful, beautiful chair. It just fits in any décor and any environment and it’s so unassuming, but whoever sits in it never wants to get up.
Paradis is the best. It’s the top shelf. It’s such a beautiful liquor for sipping. And I joke around with the Hennessy folks, like, This is going to take me to paradise.
In my family, Hennessy is always reserved for celebrations, like graduations or birthday parties. Or if you receive very important guests, you pop that Hennessy bottle. So when I had the ability to collaborate with them three years ago on the first Lunar New Year dinner, I was including my found family, my community, and it felt like a true, authentic family dinner. And three years into it, it’s become an annual reunion that we all look forward to. They’re all very busy people doing incredible things in the community, and with Hennessy’s support, it’s allowed us to create this space to congregate for a family celebration.
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