CYNTHIA ROWLEY AUTUMN/WINTER 2015-16 READY-TO-WEAR NEW YORK

In lieu of a traditional presentation or runway show, Cynthia Rowley decided to make a video to show off her Fall 2015 wares that went live on her website at 2 p.m. on Friday. (For those who wanted to congratulate her in person, the designer hosted a party that same evening at her Manhattan town house.) Why the changeup? “The whole thing is about trying to reinvent how we show the collection,” she said at the shoot, which took place earlier in the week. “It’s more efficient.”

For the Trevor Undi-directed video, Rowley brought in wind and smoke machines to play up the light, floaty feeling of the clothes, which layered one lightweight fabric over another. A sheer lavender turtleneck, for instance, was worn under a sheer black long-sleeve T-shirt, which was in turn worn under a daisy brocade shift dress. Rowley also played with sparkle and shine: paillette-covered neckerchiefs, brocade trousers, and sequin flower embroidery on tops and skirts. (They were playing Thriller at the shoot, so she was certainly thinking about Michael Jackson’s sequined glove, too.) While skirt lengths and silhouettes varied—from a to-the-floor peasant dress decorated with pink metallic polka dots to a knee-length strapless prom dress in a patchwork brocade—it was all nicely pulled together by rich purples and blues.

The collection certainly had a distinctive look that took cues from the late 1960s and early ’70s, though Rowley didn’t feel beholden to a certain style or era. “Nobody dresses like that anymore,” she said, referring to the fact that shoppers no longer want trends dictated to them. From the concept to the clothes, this season was all about the democratization of fashion.