By Sarah Nicole Prickett

Miss Rowe Fall/Winter 2008. Photos courtesy of Miss Rowe.
Ashley Rowe had nothing to wear. Then 24, she was a big city girl with the big interview at the big Bloor Street store every clothes-lover dreams of calling home: Holt Renfrew. Well, their clothes were just too expensive, and H&M? She loves it. Who doesn’t? But… it’s H&M.
So, Miss Rowe designed her own collection and called it just that.
“I wanted to make the clothes I couldn’t find for myself,” she says of her chic, clean-lined, yupscale pieces. For spring 2008, Miss Rowe debuted in virginal white; the billowy Egyptian cotton dresses and slimline pants, currently available on her website, earned her a finalist spot in the TFI New Labels competition and a clientele that ranges from 20-something to 40-plus (like Rowe’s monochromatically-dressed mom, her number one inspiration).

Ashley Rowe showed her collection at Brassai last week. Photos courtesy of Miss Rowe.
Rowe showed her fall line—all black, naturally—to a tent-weary crowd of fashion types at Brassai last week. Inspired by equal parts English style (“very mix-and-match, very fashion-forward,” Rowe says) and American rock and roll (“I could definitely see Lenny Kravitz wearing my skinny leather pants”), the collection plays well as a working girl’s day-to-night wardrobe. Wide-legged trousers, sharp-pleated yet perfectly slouchy, and a vest with major lapels are a lovely alternative to a suit, while smartly-cut tunic tops could double as big-night-out minidresses.
Rowe says she’d pair her silk-lined separates with JBrand skinny jeans, Balenciaga bags, and Louboutin heels or Lanvin flats. All very starlet. And if you’re not making seven grand a movie? Try her A-line tunic ($425) with Cheap Mondays (a la Carte Blanche), an oversize clutch from 69 Vintage, and Zara platforms—and girl, the job is yours.