Cynthia Rowley showed up at Toronto Fashion Week and all we got was this Special K

Cynthia Rowley showed up at Toronto Fashion Week and all we got was this Special K

Cynthia Rowley’s special collection for Toronto Fashion Week

In a velvet-roped section in the centre of the reception area of the Toronto Fashion Week tents, Cynthia Rowley presented a collection of three dresses she designed for the Special K Start Something Fabulous program. Canadian supermodel extraordinaire Monika Schnarre hosted, introducing Rowley as a designer who has “dressed everyone from Scarlett Johansson to the fabulous girl next door” and who is “fabulous in her own right.” The whole event, while ostensibly to promote a better body image and lifestyle amongst women, felt like a giant Special K ad, from the Special K backdrop to the Special K cue cards Rowley and Schnarre held to the Special K red dresses. We learned that Special K feels that women wouldn’t possibly buy a cereal that didn’t cater to their specific needs (in this case, we presume that means being called “fabulous” a lot) and certainly not some lowbrow cereal that men might enjoy, like Rice Krispies (they’re totally different products, obviously). Find out what went down and what the crowd thought of this very special New York visitor after the jump.

Click on to see Cynthia Rowley’s Special K presentation »

Though Rowley put a sponsor-paid smile on and quoted Valentino and Liza Minnelli, we couldn’t help but feel her heart wasn’t in it. The dresses she designed—a mid-length number with a ruffled collar, a red and orange asymmetrical outfit and a one-shoulder gown—were not exactly her best work; we even heard one guest call them “Fairweather lite,” and another was heard quipping “Reitmans one, haute couture zero.” But to the extent that the real-world models (hand selected from hundreds of Canadian women) felt empowered by their moment in the spotlight, we suppose we can chalk the event up as a win. And at a fashion week that features a fashion show crafted from designer rugs, we guess that’s the best we can hope for. We’re sure mommy bloggers far and wide will be mailing away backs of cereal boxes to receive these limited-edition designs (as far as we know, this isn’t possible).