Phillip Lim

Thanks to the Internet, fashion blogs and a dash of Project Runway, public enthusiasm for the private runway show is at a high. American Express hopes that access to a 3.1 Phillip Lim runway show will mint retail sales.

On Thursday night, just as the last show of New York's season ended, American Express card members were feted with a cocktail party at the American Express Skybox in the tents. Later, guests were seated in the Salon at Bryant Park.

The event kicked off with a chatty, informal talk between Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley, Bergdorf Goodman's women's fashion director Linda Fargo and Lim, who discussed the design details of three Fall 2009 looks. The short talk was followed by a recreation of the full 3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2010 collection shown the day before to fashion press and celebrities.

American Express' latest event (last season, Diane von Furstenberg staged an American Express consumer show) is part of a growing trend by companies to bolster sales through personal interactions with design stars. "What we're seeing is that [our customers] want to make memories," says Jessica Igoe, American Express director of global sponsorship marketing. "When you own a Phillip Lim dress and you've met him or you've been to his show, you have a more deeper connection than if you just bought it off the rack." (To further drive home the point, the $100 - $150 tickets come with a 20% discount at Phillip Lim.)

"More people want to be a part of fashion, and not just getting it at retail," says Bergdorf's Fargo. "People want to be part of the inside. That's good for the whole industry."

Lim acknowledges that he will be unable to stage another consumer show next season without a sponsor covering the production costs, but says that he will not stop trying to reach out to his client base. "[Designers] can do trunk shows throughout the year," he says. "There are so many people to reach out to."

"To build a personal relationship is really important, especially if you're trying to create clothes that inspire individuality," Lim says. "It just makes sense."