SHOW: Cynthia Rowley – Resort 2017
LOCATION: The Runway, Carriageworks
DATE: May. 19
START TIME: 7PM
TOP INSTA LOOK: Jamaican drummers and up-tempo beats opened the show to a delighted crowd appreciative of the energetic fanfare. As the show transitioned from bright, summery ready-to-wear dresses and separates to the designer’s signature neoprene and swimwear, the crowd applauded a quartet off buff topless Bondi surfers carrying the models on surfboards designed with Kook Boards, Cleopatra style. Making a departure from the usual designer peek-a-boo moment at the show’s close, Rowley was paraded across the runway riding high on the support of her chosen beach gents.
BEHIND THE SCENES: Boards stacked against the wall next to model’s outfit lineups, while Rowley’s Australia itinerary was peppered with visits to iconic Sydney landmarks, including Taronga Zoo, Bondi’s Iceberg Baths and a surf at Bondi Beach, where she no doubt had time to sample the lifesaver offering before deciding on the lads to serenade her girls in the show.
OFF PROBATION: Sure to be on the shopping list of fashionistas already a shoe-in to attend Rowley’s September NYFW show is a popping cyan blue matching pantsuit with white floral embroidery, given a style update via a bold red lip. Also key was a silk watermelon mini dress with green bell sleeves and an Asian-inspired print with a matching color and dusty oversized flower at the neck. Rowley’s active wear kicked your Luluemon game to the curb through a series of one-shoulder crop tops and leggings in orange and black with silver metallic patterns, perfect for ballet barre or grabbing a skinny cappuccino after a spot of beach yoga in Manly.
GOOD BEHAVIOUR BOND: A floral-print neoprene wetsuit with topstitched panels in powder blue, distracting enough to keep the boys from dropping in on your epic wave on your board in a matching hue. For the less active aquatic session by the hotel pool, look no further than a scalloped sorbet yellow bikini, styled with a water resistant zip-up taupe jacket with matching stripes.
INSPIRED: By the vampy Rapunzel having since escaped the tower she’s been held captive in for 18 years, where she then promptly falls in love with a dapper prince and they elope to a Caribbean paradise, filling their days with sipping Mai Tais from hollowed coconuts in between sessions riding high on their boards in the surf. Black is banned from their open-air wardrobe.
POP CULTURE-NOD: Think Alexa Chung grabbing the arm of her beau, signaling for him to mount their beat-up Vespa and speeding off into the night, engaged in casually hipster events like grabbing a liquid dinner in TriBeca for an intimate Vogue soiree followed by a Wired Magazine after-party at the Top of the Standard. Sunday involves heading east to a holiday bungalow for a day in the surf, braving the chilly night air to watch the sunset from the warmth of their Rowley wetsuits.
WEAR IT TO: A Poolside Block Party hosted by Montauk Beach House over 4th of July weekend, where you rub shoulders with Rowley and her fash pack posse – making sure to drop by her Hamptons summer pop up to grab a couple of new outfits for the weekend – before hitting a luxury tailgate with celebrity guests and high-end sponsors St. Regis, Ralph Lauren, Piaget and Bugatti (otherwise known as Bridgehampton Polo).
OVERHEARD COURTSIDE: “Yeah, well I visited her New York store last July.” – the final word from a boasting match between two attendees over whose father had most recently funded their respective summer mother-daughter shopping trips to New York.
COLOR WHEEL: Cyan blue, emerald green, dusty pink, metallic silver, watermelon and sunshine yellow.
THE DOCKET: Ever eclectic, the New York designer delivered a slice of the West Village to the land Down Under via a series of surf-inspired beachy looks sure to effortlessly transition from a day tanning at North Bondi to cocktails at Walsh Bay (although we’d much prefer a day browsing the high-end boutiques on Bleeker, where Rowley’s store is based) followed by spicy margaritas with the creative crowd at NeueHouse Madison Square). Travel and the plight of the chic travel stalwart being the unofficial spirit of the brand, Rowley’s debut MBFWA show combined her signature tunic day dresses and ready-to-wear separates with fitness, swim and surf wear, laced with an Aussie iconic beach bombshell twist. One could see Rowley happily making ‘’that business trip to Australia” a tax write-off she’d eagerly make a biannual event on the working calendar. Cheers to that!
