Real. A.P.C. AW23

Ending this Paris Fashion Week (it did feel like a month, though) coverage with an A.P.C. collection that captured the authentic, real, charismatic youth of Paris. “The kids are all right” was Jean Touitou’s conclusion of his latest show. Paraded in front of a crowd of press, brand friends and buyers in typically low-key style at the brand’s Rue Madame base, the collection was a highly personal presentation, modeled by Touitou’s daughter Lily and her teenage classmates from Paris’s École Diagonale. Perhaps Touitou felt the need to emphasize the family-run spirit of the label he founded in 1987. After all, last week came the announcement that L Catterton, the LVMH-backed private-equity group, had taken a majority stake in the company. “The young people who are going to walk this runway are like veterans. They experienced the raging of their hormones in a bunker with their parents during the COVID crisis,” he said. “That crisis could have wiped us out as a brand. We survived that war by getting stronger. Everybody you see here was born in 2006, and I think it’s a good metaphor for the sort of transmission process we started recently.” What followed was a determinedly youthful take on A.P.C.’s well-honed vision of Gallic urbanity, each look a nod to what Touitou called “a tribe” in a backstage debrief postshow. There was a Take Ivy preppiness to Japanese selvedge denim miniskirts and high-waist jeans worn with stripy shirts and shiny penny loafers; a street-inflected attitude to gray marl sweatpants and nylon flight jackets; a grungy insolence to flannel shirts worn with slip skirts, fluoro T-shirts, and scuffed plimsolls. And what stunning teenagers! All with their own carefully considered quirks – a snazzy Bananarama hairstyle here, swooping black eyeliner there – and forming a touching antidote to the celebrity-packed catwalks to which we’ve become accustomed. “I love this idea of no casting. You don’t say to people, ‘You’re too tall, too fat, too this, too that.’ Everybody was just cool about it,” said Touitou, who confirmed that, post-partnership deal, he will remain creative director of the brand alongside his art director wife, Judith.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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NET-A-PORTER Limited

The Essentials Gift Guide

This year, I’ve decided to create dream gift guides that might make it easier for you to go (and filter) through the festive season. Get ready for a selection of beautiful items that will spark joy and last for years. The ones that will certainly please one’s senses and deliver heavenly feelings. Treat your loved ones and yourself! Here’s the curated edit of the most covetable delights, which are the ultimate essentials.

Stay Safe & Warm

Bottega Veneta shearling scarf, Byredo perfume, Thom Browne cashmere gloves & Marine Serre face mask.

Festive Home Days

The Elder Statesman two-tone cashmere knit jumper, Balenciaga cotton track pants & JW Anderson slip-on mules

Leopard Allure

Batsheva puffed-sleeve mini dress, Paul Smith leopard-intarsia socksTom Ford leopard print pumps & A.P.C. cardigan

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For The Cold Days

Moncler + Rick Owens “Hikoville” padded coat

Comfort Zone

Marine Serre fleece tubular scarf & ERL logo socks

Gifts That Give Back

Gucci double-breasted velvet blazer, Coperni “Swipe” bag, Sophie Buhai silver earrings, Wales Bonner fair isle wool cardigan & JW Anderson kitten heels

Home Elegance

The Vampire’s Wife high-shine midi dress, Erdem merino wool and cashmere blanket & Bibi van der Velden 18kr yellow gold, Moonstone pearl and diamond ring

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NET-A-PORTER Limited

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The All-Time Classics

Lemaire cotton belted trench coat, Prada V-neck cardigan, Noir Kei Ninomiya tartan skirt, Maison Margiela “Tabi” bag & Dr. Barbara Sturm body brush.

Easy Glam

Dries Van Noten blazer, Simone Rocha pearl clutch mini bag, Manolo Blahnik double strap sandals & Mondo Mondo heart-motif crystal drop earrings

Can’t Go Wrong Gifts

The Row TR1 top handle tote bag, Maryam Nassir Zadeh scrunchie, Victoria Beckham sunglasses, Sophie Bille Brahe pearl earrings & Diptyque “Jasmin” candle.

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Here are other gift guides you might have missed – “Cozy Chic” for her, “Stay Home Glamourfor her and “Be Boldfor him!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

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TASCHEN

Uniform. A.P.C. SS21

Many brands release their spring-summer 2021 collections right now, a month after the fashion month frenzy. For many, it’s the season of uncertainty. While the clothes will be produced, will anyone buy them? Will there be a reason to shop again? Will 2021 be saved by the vaccine or doomed by the total lockdown? This is a pack of questions that disturb everyone, from small labels to big players. And of course, the present times are also full of anxiety. On a video call with Vogue, Jean Touitou predicted that 2020 will “end up not as catastrophic as we thought at first” for brand A.P.C. Naturally, he had a theory as to why. “Is it because we do clothes,” he asked, “instead of just images of clothes?” Not waiting for an answer, he commented, “Reflection counts for more than substance” in this industry. These days, Touitou is coming around to the idea of content, “as long as it’s ‘very personal’ and ‘matter-of-fact.’” He said he’s considering a podcast series in which he and his three kids play a song and talk about its maker; episode one may feature “Arnold Layne,” a Syd Barrett tune off This Is Pink Floyd and the band’s very first single. “Playing music with our kids, nobody can do that but me,” Touitou reasoned. It’s thanks to Jean and Judith’s daughter Haydée that Tim Elkaim shot this season’s look book. She hired him for her magazine, The Skirt Chronicles, before he got this gig. “A virtuous circle,” Touitou called the familial give-and-take. What about the clothes? There’s lots to love, pretty much as usual with A.P.C. The oversized jeans with off-center button flies that first made an appearance last season returned here, and the same treatment was applied to a raw denim mini. All of the button-downs were buttoned up to the top and finished with a thick gold chain worn high under the collar. In one case, a chambray shirt was accessorized by three chains. Cool classics that have that Parisian soul – this just can’t go wrong.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.