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While everyone else is wondering, in this digital age, how long physical fashion shows will last, and what kind of installation, panel discussion, film piece will take their place, Jean Touitou is presenting his vision of the future at A.P.C. For the last few seasons, Jean has taken to the stage, talking through his collections, inspirations and general opinions on fashion as models walk out to demonstrate his points. It helps of course that Monsieur Touitou has a wonderful sense of humour and more stage presence than even the models. “This is what we do”, he began, leaning against a pillar wearing sandals and socks, “it’s called ready to wear, and it should be worn.” For autumn/winter 13, Touitou worked with Vanessa Seward on a number of pieces, and even imported the shoes from Buenos Aires “because Vanessa is from there.” The collection mixes sport elements with clean lines: smart pea coats and trench coats with white trainers, turned up jeans, varsity jackets, American sweatshirts and rolled up socks. “Alors, this look is quite difficult to pull off,” Jean explained, “I would call it ‘faux-casual’, I think it’s a very difficult fashion thing: to achieve a look that looks casual, yet it’s very feminine. We used to say that A.P.C. is ‘effortless elegance’ but this is not effortless, to me, faux casual is the most difficult thing to achieve”. The next lineup was much more French, wearing berets, casual grey flannel suits, pleated skirts and long-sleeved tops. “I think this is so French because I think that, when the French disappear, which is any year now… if one thing remains from France, it’s that sense of correctness, the French really pull it off – this thing where it’s not enough and it’s not too much. So this fashion is not conceptual at all, I do not mind conceptual fashion, some people do it very well, but this is not conceptual, this is clothes for the daytime, as Yves Saint Laurent used to say, this is the jour”. Seeing fashion from a pragmatic point of view, Touitou continues to make clean clothes that people want to wear, to work, to go out and to stay at home. And he’s changing the future of fashion shows while he’s at it.
Text: Sarah Raphael
Photography: Courtesy of A.P.C
