Designers play peek-a-boo at NY Fashion Week

CYNTHIA ROWLEY

In the rarified world of Lincoln Center, perhaps it’s the equivalent of borrowing a cup of sugar: Designer Cynthia Rowley asked the new neighbors at the New York City Ballet if she could borrow its backdrops for her show.

The ballet company obliged, so Rowley’s lovely, polished clothes were presented with sets of “Swan Lake” and “Romeo and Juliet” standing tall behind the models.

The swing toward sophisticated styles is part of the evolution of fashion, Rowley said in an interview later Saturday.

The first look out was an otherwise simple taupe dress, but cutout dots like a Connect Four unit made it new and interesting. The same goes for all the transparent panels on sweaters and polos, and the colored pebblelike embellishment on shirts, shorts and a cocktail party-ready shift dress.

PRABAL GURUNG

Prabal Gurung is showing the growth and maturity of a designer who wants to stick around.

And the industry seems ready to support this Singapore-born, Nepal-raised young man for the long haul. Top-name retailers, editors and stylists, including Rachel Zoe and Ikram Goldman _ known to work with Mrs. Obama _ gave him hearty applause.

Gurung took a bit of a risk on his third-ever runway, starting with colorblocked cashmere knits. It was a statement worth making: Gurung wants to dress real women _ women of style, not those obsessed with trends.

DKNY

The DKNY woman breezed onto the runway neatly wrapped in the brand’s new heritage-print scarf.

This might be Donna Karan’s typically trendier line, but the spring collection borrowed from many classic wardrobe staples, including shirtdresses, ruffled blouses and trenchcoats.

“Who doesn’t need a good trench?” said Harper’s Bazaar Editor-in-Chief Glenda Bailey on a soggy day, noting the black one she was carrying. “Works for everything.”

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