Cynthia Rowley Spring 2011

Cynthia Rowley's spring collection provides a new crop of flirty frocks for the sporty, cheeky, girly-girl, updating her look with dot cut-outs and retro nods.

The first ensembles Rowley sent down the runway under New York City Ballet production backdrops held no sign of her typcial frill. Rather she began with a batch of monochromatic and slightly futuristic color-blocked drop-hem dresses and boyish tops and trousers. However, the designer's signature playfulness was evident in their silhouettes: skirts reached mid-calf and sleeves hit just above the elbow, while shift shapes were slightly exaggerated in their boxiness.

Graphic polka-dot cut-outs dominated the collection, echoing the circular grid of her show invitation. The orderly Swiss-cheese-like perforation showed up on tailored sheath dresses and pencil skirts, as well as in the ruffles of one flowing, long skirt.

Soon enough, however, the line exploded into a million glittery pieces--embossed buttons and paillettes showed up on sheer tops and at the hem of a spectacular pair of bell-bottom trousers. Throughout, citrus colors abounded against nudes and grays both solid and sheer.

One dress--a prim navy silk shirtdress that fell loose to the knee--reminded us of a maternity frock Princess Diana might have worn during her pregnancies in the early '80s--actually, quite struck our fancy as another testament to the wink with which Rowley always designs her looks.

Finally, the celeb-studded front-row included the requisite beautiful people, including Rebecca Romijn, Lauren Bush with her FEED bag, and Nigel Barker.

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