It started with a bang: the backdrop, a giant book cover, falling open to unleash a three-dimensional illustration of a forest scene. (Rowley, a mother of two, is—at least according to a loud rumor—working on her first children's book.) Here and there, silhouettes of elephants and lions and the like were collaged, pop-up style, onto the clothes—to give the collection the kind of "wink that a kids' book would have," the designer said. That trick was a bit, well, tricky, but there were lots of appealing shirtwaist dresses in dark plum and teal, with tucks and pleats and sheer hems, and oversized let's-play-dress-up outerwear, all worn with fur d'Orsay pumps to add to the fun.
