Fforme is yet another New York–based representative of modern-day minimalism and an advocate of all things “good taste.” Frances Howie, the brand’s current creative director, drew inspiration from “Metropolitan” – Whit Stillman’s 1990 cult classic and the cinematic shorthand for Upper East Side dressing and socialite allure.
The collection was prim and elegant, yet beneath the surface two key references emerged: Martin Margiela’s fur wigs created in collaboration with Bless in 1997, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s cheeky tights-as-shoes moment from a year ago. (Industry lore has it that the shoes failed to arrive in time for The Row show; at Fforme, by contrast, the black “tights” are in fact ultra-slim boots with barely visible soles.)
Howie’s highly-photogenic line-up will undoubtedly please Pinterest art directors. But will the idealized, moneyed Manhattan woman – the figure so many New York designers seem intent on dressing this season – buy into it? I’d wager, and hope, that these mythical women, who model themselves on Lee Radziwill or Babe Paley, know their references.
ED’s SELECTION:
FFORME Aline Scuba Straight-leg Pants
Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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