The Tamesis
Frances Howie’s second Fforme collection is about escaping the city in pursuit of sun, sand and freedom from the grid. Howie used the spring collection as the starting point for her first pre-fall collection, achieving stunning results through expert pattern cutting and thoughtful fabric selections. The result is a carefully considered piece that looks effortlessly simple. “It’s not really minimalism, it’s kind of bringing back a little bit of femininity,” said the designer, whose training included working with Alber Elbaz at Lanvin.
A top paired with a pair of slightly puffed trousers that gather at the ankle are essentially two squares joined by three seams. A series of looks in what the designers call “liquid” polyester are made from single pieces of fabric, with back pleats caught by zippers as if the fabric is loosely gathered together by hand. “I think comfort is modern, lightness is modern,” Howie said, musing on the indoor-outdoor nature of classic American sportswear while looking at the work of prominent female designers from the early 20th century. Draped shapes in a material as light as stocking nylon recalled Madame Grès, while long skirts, achieved softly above the hip with pleats or seams, paid homage to the likes of Madeleine Vionnet and Jeanne Lanvin. Countering this mildest of historicism is a scuba-inspired facade that clearly reveals the form.
