Cynthia Rowley is a big fan of quirk. Her clothes typically give off a whimsy-filled vibe, mainly through the vibrant hues and kaleidoscopic prints that have become her signature design elements. This season, she took that idea of eccentricity and juxtaposed it against the work of her current favorite artist Misha Kahn.
A rising star with a talent for turning found garbage into sculptures befit for a contemporary version of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Kahn recently celebrated his first show at New York’s Friedman Benda gallery. This is where Rowley photographed her Pre-Fall collection, a lineup of purposefully wrinkled taffeta dresses and skirts, painterly floral motif lamé trousers, and outerwear that included a cropped bright green jacket and a zebra-printed coat. The best and most wearable pieces by far were among the taffeta group, made especially desirable by the fact that they can be scrunched up in a drawer, closet, or suitcase and worn without any steaming. Like Kahn’s work, these looks by Rowley were beautiful because of their imperfections.
