Jean Touitou's past loves and lusts were the muses of A.P.C.'s new Fall collection. Who's his type? As usual, Touitou didn't spare any details as he presented the lineup at his Left Bank headquarters this morning. When he emigrated from Tunisia, he said, it was easy to fall for French jeunes filles with their printed blouses, shirtwaist dresses, and trench coats, all of which made appearances here. Schoolgirls in uniforms were even better, which explains the preponderance of collared shirts buttoned up to the neck and trim skirts, as well as a very American-looking wool and leather varsity jacket. These days, Touitou still likes a woman in uniform. In fact, he was lamenting that EasyJet seems to employ only male stewards, because he's always had a thing for airline hostesses. "Something about them makes me happy," he offered. Hence the solid dresses worn over printed blouses and the printed scarves tied jauntily at the neck. Discussing the leather rain boots he paired with both a printed denim jumpsuit and a peacoat and marinière shirt combo, Touitou revealed that A.P.C. has gotten into the tanning business because of leather shortages across Europe. "The big groups are grabbing all the skins."
That wasn't the only critique he lobbed in the direction of fashion's superpowers. Railing against the drive for ever bigger fashion shows, grand spectacles with the fancy clothes to match, he said, "Everyone else is doing couture; I prefer something more easy." Touitou's tastes are fairly archetypal. That's a good way to think about A.P.C.'s clothes, too. They're classic, but they're not average.
