Cynthia Rowley Celebrated Spring at Fashion Week El Paseo

Cynthia Rowley runway show on March 17.
PHOTO BY YASIN CHAUDHRY

A blooming display of midday fun by designer Cynthia Rowley made it official a couple days early: Spring, in the fashion sense of the word, has sprung.

The runway’s backdrop on the third day of Fashion Week El Paseo proved prophetic. A blue sky with downy clouds, projected onto a screen bearing the designer’s name, exactly matched the sky above The Gardens on El Paseo in Palm Desert, where Fashion Week takes place. What followed was a refreshing afternoon shower of flowers, ruffles, metallics, and bows, all dressed up in a seasonal paintbox of colors and neutrals.

Women pushed to the edge of their seats just after 2 p.m., presumably making a mental wish list from this shoppable show, where ready-to-wear designs tempt in real time on the brand’s website and at the six-day trunk show through Saturday, March 23, at Summer Colony Living on El Paseo.

Model wears a red dress.
PHOTO BY TIFFANY L. CLARK

The Cynthia Rowley bio on Instagram encapsulates the designer’s 36-year lifestyle legacy in three words: “pretty meets sporty.” This simple phrase succeeds in summing up a brand that simultaneously feels as complex, and as straightforward, as a teenage girl.

The tagline says all it needs to when reaching the Cynthia Rowley devotee. Call her pretty, call her sporty, call her what you like. She’s listening to the booming voice of her innermost style heroine, and it’s coming through a pep-rally megaphone.

Rowley’s designs tug at women who dress for themselves. Women who embrace the grown-up side of girly. Women who enjoy the thrill of catching a look in the mirror and being all-out floored at who they’ve become.

Through her always pretty, sometimes sporty collections, the designer who set out for the Art Institute of Chicago determined to be a painter now gives women the permission — which they don’t need, but appreciate — to flaunt their femininity in any form.

Model struts the runway in a green dress.
PHOTO BY CAROLINE POLLY

Models walking the runway.
PHOTO BY YASIN CHAUDHRY

Zebra prink bikini and coat.
PHOTO BY CAROLINE POLLY

Models wear floral prints backstage.
PHOTO BY TIFFANY L. CLARK

Her show took the season by surprise with fresh and flirty variations on the high-low hemline, two-piece sets in huge paillettes and in oversize eyelet, and youthful shoulder bows securing smocked-bodice maxi dresses. Ruffles wrapped in tiers around skirts, trailed down like raindrops on a windowpane, and gathered voluminously on the hems of tops and pants.

From the first buddings of her career launched in New York City, it was clear that Rowley could invent, then reinvent, a great floral print. Flowers grew wild throughout the show, tamed only by body-flattering silhouettes. A sparkling flower sash appeared several times, popping off the waist in three-dimensional sequin petals.

Dual colorways let guests appreciate how color alters the mood of a cut. A sweet, puff-sleeve frock in dusty mauve satin spoke to a totally different sense of self than its outspoken marigold counterpart, both belted and constructed with pockets. The show’s debut dress, a fizzy drink in black feathers, could go to a nighttime summer wedding, while its pale pink twin would make a beach bride blush.

BUY TICKETS: Fashion Week El Paseo continues through March 21.

Those who have followed Rowley since the 1990s likely relate to her nostalgia for cargo pants. Pinstriped cargos met cute with a bandeau top, shaped into a giant organza bow. Glistening gold cargos embodied effortless elegance, partnered with a slouchy V-neck cashmere sweater pushed off one shoulder. A flyaway cargo skirt in taffeta was pure cool, split down the center and paired with a single sequin flower that formed another playful bandeau.

Pastel sequin matching set.
PHOTO BY YASIN CHAUDHRY

Silks and satins shimmered under the angled spotlights of the Fashion Week El Paseo tent, in two of the most showcased fabrics for the months ahead. Four-inch satin wedges finished most of the looks, glinting in a gold foil floral motif.

With a pronounced spring in their long strides, models favored upbeat expressions, a natural match for a high-energy soundtrack that included “Kill the Lights” by Alex Newell and DJ Cassidy and a dance-mix version of “Sunny,” recorded by Bobby Hebb in 1976.

For every occasion a bright spring day might offer, Rowley presented an outfit to hit just the right note. From brunch on the patio to a concert in the park, coffee with the girls, or a sunset dinner party in the garden, each self-assured look spoke to Rowley’s signature: confidence. Even the working girl found options, provided the dress code is creative if not a bit whimsical.

Models wear spring colored dresses.
PHOTO BY CAROLINE POLLY

Pink pant suit with gold floral print.
PHOTO BY CAROLINE POLLY

Crowd favorites included a ruffled top-and-flares set in forest green and several pieces where an appliqué of butterfly embellishments seemed to flutter on a breeze. Timeless wardrobe staples in leopard and zebra prints transcended a specific season.

Though the adventuresome Rowley, a self-described “adrenaline junkie” who loves to surf, didn’t tote along one of her wetsuit designs, several bikinis and classic shirt dresses posing as cover-ups had spring pool time under wraps.

Debra Carrington, owner of Summer Colony Living, brought Rowley to the desert to participate in the Fashion Week El Paseo show sponsored by Jon and Donna Croel. Carrington and Rowley share a yen for nature and a pull toward the big, boundless wonders of beaches and mountains. Join their spirit of adventure at the Cynthia Rowley trunk show March 18–23, from noon to 4 p.m. at Summer Colony Living, 73061 El Paseo, Suite 6, Palm Desert. The trunk show is free and open to the public.