Phillip Lim is the second designer Shoeflyer scouted out from last week’s NY Fashion Week. First up: a bit of background on this modster designer. Phillip Lim is an  American designer of Chinese descent who focuses on bringing elegance to the street. Vogue’s Laird Borrelli describes Mr. Lim’s designs as “pretty-but-cool clothes” that “don’t try too hard.”

Mr. Lim runs a smooth show; he’s often found sitting in the front row as early as an hour before his designs hit the catwalk.

His Spring ’09 collection picks up on the “cool cat” theme running through the American psyche thanks to Saturday Night Live’s omage to the new president.  In what Fab Sugar calls a “nod to the ’60s,” Mr. Lim’s spring suggestions included neatly cut, sharp jackets and timeless styles. Like Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim rarely strayed from a very basic color scheme: black and white.

Where Mr. Wang’s show jazzed up basic colors with with punky details, Mr. Lim’s designs included suave, unexpected pieces such as shagadelic collars and loafers with hundreds of sparking studs. In this way, a single accessory was the star of each outfit.  Mr. Lim chose shoes with glittering embellishments to throw sparkling light onto his confident, sleek ensembles.

I’ve chosen Franco Sarto’s Flighty pump (above) to channel Mr. Lim’s spring designs.  With a stylish, glistening buckle, rich black suede, and a”crocodile” pattern at the toe, Flighty pumps harken back to the days when air travel was a luxurious joy.