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Schizo APC Fall/Winter 2009
The looks have come out and not everybody is falling head over heels for it. Carl of The Fashionisto remarks, "In an attempt to capture a wide and diverse audience, committing to a concept appears to have become less of a priority." I can clearly see how concept-wise, this collection is indeed all over the place, a unifying thread for all the looks is either really faint or absent.select looks from APC Fall/Winter 2009, more here
APC's appeal to me has always been in their very sparsely designed pieces priced somewhere between Zara and Lanvin that magically scream quiet coolness. This collection's schizophrenic busy-ness may detract from this idea that first got me hooked on APC, but that doesn't stop me from coveting a few pieces.
How genius is the concept behind this Sgt. Pepper's marching band jacket brought down to earth by horn toggle buttons?I don't think I'd ever tire of jumpsuits, and this bleached denim one looks ridiculously cool with the plaid scarf.This pair of jeans dappled with what appears to be white cotton clouds intrigues me.The entire look is French preppy chic done so, so right.The parka with contrasting buttons looks like the great go-to winter coat for those lazy, casual days. And those lace-up boots are looking very handsome.I'd like to challenge the age-old notion that a collection must have a governing theme or concept. Does it make one less of a designer if one just wants to put forth an anthology of well-designed pieces without a theme in mind? What if a consumer walks into a boutique and isn't very much fond of the "Martha's vineyard preppy on acid" or the "new deconstruction" or the "urban Marrakech" inspiration that permeates every piece in store, what choice is he left with?
images via Modeman
P.S. Between a lung disease scare (I'm okay now), an overnight shopping trip to Hong Kong that didn't happen, and numerous consecutive get-togethers with friends who I won't be seeing in a long time, I found it hard to sneak in a blog post. With that, I apologize for the long absence, my dearest readers.