The 3.1 Phillip Lim Pre-Fall 2016 collection dubbed “Utilitarian leisure” exposing an eclectic lineup that delivered real-life, cool-girl style with innovative flair.

There were equestrian elements, like button details and jodhpur-like leggings with casualwear including coats and khakis. Lim cleverly played the leisure aesthetics against ones that struck a dress-for-dinner note, making ample use of a silk foulard print, romantic ruffles and lace, and glitzy lamé. Sometimes the motifs were mixed within pieces, as in his terrific lace-trimmed slip dress paneled in ribbed knit, or his silver lamé trench coat, the collection’s indisputable must-have item. Many of the silhouettes here were an update from Spring, such as the backless ruffled bomber, and the paper-bag-waist pants; what felt fresh was Lim’s emphasis on easy-to-wear, trans-seasonal dresses.

“We thought about the idea of ‘realness’ — how to glam her up and keep her real at the same time,” Lim said to WWD. “But how do you bring this character to light by giving her a dose of eccentricity and immediacy?”

There was a nod to the Muppets through the texture of his bouclé coats, and the color palette cribbed from Gonzo and Big Bird and Kermit, with the graphic motif that was a play on Elmo’s laughing mouth. The Muppet touch added a fun take on the cool collection.