Fforme Sring 2026 RTW
Images via Gorunway.com
Walking into the FFORME show feels like stepping into a world where summer is constant, and ease rules. The designer Frances Howie draws on childhood memories of rugged volcanic beaches in New Zealand, calling on salt air, freedom, swimming, surfing, and light that refracts along water. She brings that spirit into every seam, every fabric, every silhouette.
The mood is effortless. Hair is undone. Faces are bare. Clothes move with simple confidence. Dresses mostly end just above the ankle. Leather braided flip-flops replace heels. These are the garments one could pack for travel or simply throw on after a beach day. They are casual, but in that unstudied way that feels deeply chic.
Howie borrows technical cues from scuba suits. She plays with bonded seams and strategic lines that follow the body’s movement. A shell top with an asymmetrical zipper teamed with a high-waisted slim skirt in scuba material is fun-unexpected. Then there are liquid-silk dresses with batwing sleeves, curved seams that sweep from shoulder to hip, one in silver, one in royal blue, both with elongated zipper pulls so dressing becomes part of the experience, not just getting dressed.
There’s contrast between seriousness and play. A linen-silk suit in grass green nearly glows, while a satin black ensemble wrinkles just enough to feel alive. Workwear-inspired trousers and long shorts in silk cotton mingle among more delicate pieces. A parka opens the collection, architectural and light, the color like parchment. A “hammered gold” halter dress has bodice insets that make it feels festive without fuss.
Edges are soft. A fringed dress draped from a single piece of fabric, hand-frayed at the edges, wrapped around the body like a towel after ocean swim. The show feels like curtains drawn open to sunshine, like sliding doors letting in salt air.
Overall this collection is an invitation. It says you can hold on to tailoring and structure and still be free. It says chic comes as much from mood and lightness as from perfect lines. Howie is not trying to reinvent fashion; she is asking us to remember how beach, sun, movement, joy quietly shape what we want to wear.
