Cynthia Rowley: My Life In Outfits (PHOTOS)

HuffPost Social Reading

In fashion circles, the name Cynthia Rowley is synonymous for whimsical dresses and feminine separates, but America has yet to meet the woman behind the designs. That's all about to change, thanks to a brand new show called "24 Hour Catwalk," which airs on Lifetime this Tuesday night. Called "a 'Project Runway' knockoff for Goths on speed" by Variety, the reality series features Rowley, It-girl Alexa Chung, editor Derek Blasberg and P.R. guru James LaForce. Though the "Runway" comparisons exist, the format of "Catwalk" is slightly tweaked. Each episode, four designers compete for the title of winner in 24 hours, hence the name. Naturally, hijinks ensue -- it wouldn't be reality tv otherwise. "The contestants had to work under extreme conditions: crazy time constraints, limited resources and little or no sleep," said Rowley. "One of the contestants lost it and dropped trou right in front of us."

But even with such outlandish stunts, Rowley found empathy for the designers: "It's hard for me because I can still identify with the position that these designers are in. I was working on my runway show at the exact time we were taping, so I was feeling the same emotions, so I never wanted to vote anyone off." Still, when push came to shove, Rowley gave her two cents, "The judges all have pretty strong opinions, so if we disagreed, we had to duke it out for a while before we came to a conclusion."

In honor of Rowley's debut, we took a look back at her own fashion evolution -- no trou dropping included. What does a megastar-designer-in-the-making wear in 7th grade? To Homecoming and the Oval Office? We've got those answers below.

Though she now describes her style as "clean and sophisticated and a little bit artsy," this wasn't always the case. Take a tour through our gallery below -- and read her commentary in the captions -- for Rowley's life in outfits. We would choose a favorite look, but as you'll see, that's impossible.

Meanwhile, don't forget to take a tour of Rowley's closet with StyleLikeU.

FASHION RELATED LINKS YOU MAY LOVE:

30 Denim Finds Under $50 - iVillage

The 'It' Girl You Don't Know - The Daily Beast

5 Pretty Spring 2012 Hues To Add To Your Wardrobe - FabSugar

Bright Spots In A Season Of Timeless Minimalism - Elle

25 Teeny Tiny Ways To Be A Lot More Fabulous - The Frisky

The Most Expensive Shoes In The World - Lucky

Style around the web

 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
hman570
08:56 PM on 01/10/2012
Never herd of her and don't know anything about her. The line of clothes she is trying to push out are really bad. They look like rags and nothing more.
07:36 PM on 01/10/2012
Most of her outfits were pretty darn awful. There are better dressed women in any metro area in the US on any given day of the week. Hmmm, which one do I like better....the sundress with no support or her bubble gum pink dress with the same issue. So hard to choose...
photo
pslcitizen
Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.
07:23 PM on 01/10/2012
Who? Your life in outfits, pictures...um, okay? Here's my box of pics..lol.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
gfgarv
but you are Blanche! You are...
07:13 PM on 01/10/2012
no idea who she is.
06:35 PM on 01/10/2012
don't know this lady
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Susan Keeling Blakeman
04:56 PM on 01/10/2012
Ms. Rowley would be my choice to dress me if I were amongst the wealthy. She has true style.
04:52 PM on 01/10/2012
loved the designs in the video...fun, classy and whimsical!
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
catb50
dream a little dream...
04:52 PM on 01/10/2012
i honestly have never heard of her, now i know why...those clothes look like leftovers from goodwill, and she is a top designer?
11:26 PM on 01/10/2012
And the retailers wonder why they are going out of business!
rkeeeballs
rock and a hard place
04:43 PM on 01/10/2012
Sorry, those clothes are ugly....real bad !...yuck !
03:00 PM on 01/10/2012
nice designs except for pink gown(opera) and the one even she says is risque too much boobs in both of them
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
carolinacookie4
02:24 PM on 01/10/2012
Now, if someone would just tell her to stand up straight and stop standing pigeontoed and bowlegged.

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