CITYist

Cynthia Rowley has been so busy with all her side projects and collaborations that its easy to forget the brilliant ready-to-wear collection she sent down the runway for fall. One feature we’re loving in particular is the use of feathers, which crop up on jewel-toned minis, sassy flapper dresses and funky accessories. While the use of color and texture does give off a certain modern vibe (à la Proenza Schouler), we can’t shake the 20s influence. This may be partially due to our near hysteria over HBO’s upcoming Board Walk Empire (Atlantic City in the jazz age? amazing), but mostly we’re just feeling the “looking backward in order to look forward” aesthetic, to reference Oscar de la Renta’s recent pearl of wisdom dispensed on (where else?) The Rachel Zoe Project.