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When talking about A.P.C. it always comes back around to realness. Jean Touitou rejects the artifice that props up so much of fashion. During the pandemic, many were singing the same tune, but now that we’re putting the last two years behind us (prematurely, maybe), he’s noticed the artifice building back up. “During Covid, everybody said ‘we have to change,’ but nothing changes,” he said at the brand’s New York showroom, alluding to the packed-again fashion schedule. “We still have the will to show, but we’re not going to do a show with tons of people. So we decided to do a show on the streets.”

Though Lily McMenamy and Paul Hameline are in full catwalk mode here, these pictures make Touitou’s point about artifice—that it’s unnecessary. Both models look believable and cool in a street-ready supply of army fatigues, shirt-and-short sets, and jeans. Denim is the foundation of the women’s and men’s lineups, as it has been since A.P.C.’s start 35 years ago, although the light fade of these jeans, jackets, and dresses is achieved not by washing but by laser, Touitou pointed out. Lasers are responsible for the dip-dye effect on a matching trucker jacket and jeans too. That’s something that’s changed from the early days. The A.P.C. chief wore shades of tan head-to-toe, which explains the emphasis on monochrome looks in the men’s look book. He said there will be more where they came from when he reveals a new “interaction” in Paris later this season.

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