Cynthia Rowley Spring 2018 Ready-To-Wear....Fashionweekly...On Fow24news.com

Count Cynthia Rowley never wants the vacation to end. (And really, who does?) This season the designer wanted to extend her idea of the quintessential jaunt. For her, this includes surfing. “I was thinking about swimwear and wearing it in the city,” said Rowley. “Sort of how to extend your escapist fantasy, your weekend, and your adventures......
” Here, there were plenty of those wetsuit silhouettes, seen in pieces such as a short, dusty-pink silk dress that hugged the body and was dotted with ruffles. (It may have been able to pass as a turn-of-the-century swimsuit, too.) Though there were plenty of literal swimwear-style pieces—such as the bandeau tops—there was a bit of fantasy woven in. A beautiful, iridescent scale-like skirt was reminiscent of a mermaid tail and popped in yellow, turquoise, and lavender hues. (It was paired with a black sweatshirt boasting Gucci-style script, which was a bit distracting.) An unexpected standout was the sheeny shorts—an inspiration from basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s uniform—that came in a super tiny Daisy Duke version as well as a belted and high-waisted iteration for an elevated feel.

But back to the swimwear. The concept of swimsuits being worn in the city is not so far flung. Waist-cinching rash guards now come in chic styles, while only a few months ago a Vogue.com writer test-drove wearing a bathing suit in the city. Rowley doesn’t seem so far off in her beach-to-street philosophy. Take the cool, mock-neck peach bodysuit with a ’40s swim silhouette: It would have looked quite nice on fellow surfer, model Carolyn Murphy, who was in attendance. Maybe Rowley’s idea of “surf-leisure” is the next big thing.