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FORM Meets Function With New Basics

"It's FORM's take on basics," said Jenna Davis, one of the designers behind New York's FORM, on their Pre-Spring 2009 collection, which they presented in New York on Wednesday, July 2.

FORM, a design collective known for their architectural and sculptural approach to fashion, took a more commercial approach for the collection, focusing on the key items one would need for a weekend getaway.

"We took familiar silhouettes, like a white blouse, but explored how to take it and make it different," explained Davis, pointing to a short sleeved blouse, the "Prism," with intricate geometric seams that shaped the torso into a flattering diamond shape, with origami balloon-like sleeves.

Other pieces followed a similar structured approach, like the "Kite" dress, an architectural take on a caftan or a cape, or a trench coat with an asymmetrical collar that could be worn buttoned up or down, giving the wardrobe essential a new twist.

Even the most basic of pieces - shorts, a button-down shirt, had little details that set them apart, like a double pocket on a shirt, a pin-tuck seam on the shorts. Easy fabrics like poplin, semi-transparent voile and stretch silk georgette provided a range of weights and effects.

Mignonne Gavigan, another one of Form's designers, said their color choices stemmed from aquatic sources - so a range of ocean blues dominated, but yellow was their other color choice. "Yellow is the pop color underwater," said Gavigan. "All of the sudden amidst all the blue you'll see a yellow fish swim by."

"We tried to drive color this season," said Davis. "We've always been very dark in the past."

The underwater theme also extended to their prints. A graphic pattern of precisely drawn lines turned out to be a representation of a sonar wave.

Davis said that for their Spring collection, they will continue in the more wearable vein that this collection introduced, but with an organic approach to the body, with more curved seams.

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