Fforme's Frances Howie Just Made Your Dream Spring Uniform

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: There are not enough women designing clothes for women. So thank goodness for Frances Howie, who just presented her second runway collection for Fforme after taking over as creative director last year.

The former Stella McCartney design director clearly relishes the opportunity to make great clothes for herself, her friends and the community of stylish ladies who’ve quickly rallied around her work. And after her fall debut of sculptural outerwear and textured separates that celebrate the female form, she couldn’t wait to bring “a summer perspective to the Fforme woman,” as she told Fashionista in a post-show interview.

Inspired by her summers spent on “a legendary surf beach” in New Zealand growing up, Howie began with luxurious wetsuit-esque rubber separates alongside scuba cuts in more fluid fabrics like satin. She put immense thought into all her fabric choices — not just for form, but also for function. Trench coats are made from “almost weightless” cotton silk; eveningwear features airy feathers hand-embroidered into light knitted fabric. “The whole idea was about bringing this day take on architecture or sculptural form, which I think is the next evolution for the Fforme woman.”

There’s an ease to that woman’s warm-weather wardrobe, but she also has an edge to her, seen via utilitarian trousers and shorts inspired by skate culture, black dresses and suiting made from a velvet-like washed metallic cotton satin, and touches of lace and fringe that add a grungy feel.

“We looked at this witchy sort of tailoring of somebody who’s maybe off the beaten track,” Howie explained. “When you surf on these beaches, these people have almost retreated from something. They’ve gone there because they want to reject something or they’re living in a free-spirited way.”

At the end of the day, though, Howie’s goal is to make pieces that modern women can assemble into their modern uniforms. “The uniform that you wear as a modern woman needs to be quite light. It needs to be trans-seasonal. You need to be able to pack it away when you travel, especially for the summer,” she explained. “I think the evolution [from last season] for me is really to bring in a strong take on day and this innovation in American sportswear.”

See the full Fforme Spring 2026 collection below.