come together; It takes five to tango this spring.(Fashion design)

Byline: Lynn Yaeger

The only time it seemed like a lot of people were in the room was when we all got excited," says Kate Spade, describing the seamlessness of her collaboration with As Four, the design collective al-so known as Gabi, Kai, Adi, and Ange, who pal around with Bjork and are the undisputed darlings of the downtown scene. Though the pairing of the preppy Kate with the raffish quartet may seem as unlikely as Karl and Tommy or Isaac and Target, Spade swears it isn't as odd a coupling as you might think.

"Our aesthetics may be different, but our philosophy is the same," Spade says of the collection, called As Fourkate-spade. "It's clothing as accessories-easy but never basic. Things that don't require a fitting room! Things you throw on and it's not, Ooh, does it fit? but, Oh my God, I have to have this!"

Like all successful partnerships, As Fourkatespade is more than just the sum of its parts. Pleated chiffon shrugs sport long ribbon ties; reversible terry-to-poplin popover tops are casual but carefully structured; charmingly tweaked trench coats come not just in a white-and-Kelly-green (a staple Spade color) combo but also in a white-with-bright-flower print.

Spade loves this trench, flowered or not. "I have worn trenches all day, every day, like a shirt, just over a bra! You never take it off!" Though she confesses to harbor a horror of ever producing a full fashion line, and says she has no plans to mount a runway show, ever, she still says she can see customers sporting As Fourkatespade day and night. "I want to make sure there's not just one way to wear these clothes," she says. "Take the rainbow-striped caftan. It can go over a swimsuit and then off to a party."

One thing is certain: The chasm between uptown and downtown, perhaps exaggerated to begin with, has just about vanished. And really, when you think about it, isn't Spade, Park Avenue princess that she is, also famous for her quirky fifties vintage style? And didn't As Four's Adi once confide before a major fashion fete that she was off to have her hair done because "I'm a lady, and I'm going out tonight"?

For their part, As Four is equally excited about the partnership. "I come from a culturally ...