Toronto notes: Ashley Rowe presents a juice-inspired tie-dye collection

When a designer dips into tie-dye, you expect they’ve been influenced by a historical reference (Chip & Pepper tracksuit–wearing surf kids of the late ’80s? Dead Heads in psychedelic T-shirts?) or perhaps a traditional technique, like the Japanese shibori treatment utilized by Proenza Schouler, but for Toronto’s Ashley Rowe, the point of inspiration was juice. Or, rather, the pulp made by her juicer, especially the bright hues of the beet–perhaps that’s why the only solid-colour piece was a floor-skimming silk T-shirt dress in an intense magenta. The other 11 looks she showed were simple cotton hand tie-dyed in pinks, greens, blues and purples. Rowe cut caftans and skirts, flared pants and T-shirts that fell to the knee and sometimes hung off one shoulder. Rowe sees the oversized shapes as a reflection of her own preference for comfort dressing. As the sombre models walked slowly in pairs around a claw-foot tub lit up like a cauldron, the scene called to mind the gathering of a cult of young maidens worshipping Jerry Garcia. Rowe seems to have her own cult following who swallowed up her splatter-paint tops from last spring, so we’re sure the maidens will be lining up for her neo-hippie pieces.
See a gallery of the full Ashley Rowe show»

Read our full coverage of the Spring 2011 collections»

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