Maybe it was because we caught him in the third hour of a three-hour presentation, but A.P.C.'s always-opinionated Jean Touitou was in boisterous form today. Few things escaped his judgment. Not the current state of fashion shows: "Just one-off pieces and party dresses, no ready-to-wear," he said. Not shoes: "Women's feet are too much massacred." And not "the Frogs," as he called French men, "who have a bad reputation with sex." He had an answer for all of it with this concise 24-look lineup.
To redress the one-off situation, Touitou showed a trio of slim, slightly mod single-breasted coats. This is a winter collection we're talking about, after all. For women's poor feet, he collaborated with Nike on new sneakers. These were meant to channel American, specifically New York City, girls in the eighties, who wore running shoes to work. America is a current fixation; in the mix was a simple white sweatshirt proudly proclaiming "USA." French men, Touitou seemed to suggest, might be irredeemable. In the meantime he's hoping French women can wear A.P.C.'s one-shoulder shift designed by Vanessa Seward without being catcalled in the street. We're right there with you, Jean.
