For starters, Lim maintains that he doesn’t dress like this everyday, and that his elegant onstage style is informed by the public-facing nature of his role at the festival. “Being comfortable on stage is important because it can be nerve-wracking,” he says. “In this line of work, you’re also often photographed with people who have stylists and clothing sponsors so you might as well not look like a schlub!” (Lim, of course, doesn’t work with a stylist and has to fend for himself.)

Perhaps predictably, Lim considers filmmakers to be some of the world’s most stylish people. “Of our guests at the festival this year, Lucrecia Martel and Jim Jarmusch are effortlessly stylish,” he tells me. David Lynch, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and David Cronenberg are some of his other sartorial north stars. And of course, there’s the Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo, whose work Lim once wrote a book on. “Hong Sang-soo has been dressing well since he’s been with [the actress] Kim Min-hee, who is also always dressed impeccably,” he says.

While he considers himself “interested in clothes,” he doesn’t keep close tabs on the runway or read fashion magazines religiously. (“I do read GQ occasionally,” he says.)

And while he doesn’t identify as a big shopper, he says he shops quite a bit when he travels for work, especially when he’s in Tokyo. “That’s one place where I find shopping is a pretty pleasurable experience,” he says. “Menswear is just a little bit more interesting and to my taste there. It’s pretty easy—and fun—to just stumble on niche, small brands that you’ve never heard of before.” Today, for example, he’s wearing a piece from the Japanese brand Rainmaker.

Lim used to dress more formally for the New York Film Festival, wearing ties on most of the evening screenings. Now, he’s a bit more casual—relaxed trousers, versatile lightweight jackets, blazers in neutrals, and loafers to tie it all together. “It just feels like the festival maybe doesn’t need that level of formality,” he says. “These are long days. They’re often 12-hour days. Some level of comfort is important.”

Does he get a corporate clothing budget? “There is no clothing budget. But you know what? That’s a good idea,” he says with a laugh. “I would like one.”