Scene setting: APC founder Jean Touitou held his first official runway show for A/W 2017, in celebration of the renowned Parisian label’s 30th anniversary. A nod to its history, one which has become synonymous with providing insouciant and affordable clothing to a devoted global audience, Touitou held the runway show at APC’s Laurent Deroo-designed headquarters at 39 rue Madame. Spread over two floors, audience members climbed its curved spiral staircase to the upper level, where the band Metronomy also performed from during the show. ‘This is where APC was conceived,’ Touitou told audience members in a speech before the show began, before offering comment on the success of his label. ‘Clothes become concept,’ he explained of high fashion. ‘And ready-to-wear is not ready to be worn anymore.’
Mood board: ‘I like the idea the clothes you see here come from the clothes next door,’ Touitou said of the collection that featured timeless APC classics (its rue Madame boutique is only a few doors down from its HQ), like trench coats, denim jackets, smock dresses and neutral knits. A sweater and football style scarf featured the slogan ‘Hiver 87’, the date of APC’s founding, and various silhouettes nodded to different decades of style since then, like an eighties-era denim jacket with square shoulders or nineties-focused denim mini-skirt.
Finishing touches: Touitou was preoccupied with the individual ways that his designs can be styled. A navy trench coat was tied around the waist like a dress, a denim jacket was buttoned at the collar and worn over the shoulders like a cape, and a denim-mini skirt was layered over a trench coat, sectioned into a longer skirt and double breasted top.
