Spandex, sequins and sparkles? Mais non!
At A.P.C., the cult French brand which just opened its second U.S. boutique just off of Melrose, the feel is distinctly low-fi. That goes for the light-wood 1,200 square-foot interior, as well as the A.P.C. brand men’s and women’s clothes. Fits are slim, shapes are simple and the palette—black, gray, white and navy—is unassuming.
The front wall is occupied entirely by French and Algerian CDs and you’ll find an intriguing selection of art books like Zoe Cassavetes’ “Men Make Women Crazy.” Menswear is GQ casual—the place is great for basic button-down shirts, belts and trench coats—and the sundresses are to-die-for, the kind that you can easily pair with sandals during the day and dress up with some knock-out heels for maximum impact at night. There are also some novelty items, like their ‘Melrose and Croft’ T-shirt (at a rather steep $52), golf club covers and APC-brand extra virgin olive oil.
But the highlight is A.P.C.'s selection of raw, never-been-washed denim. Priced between $140 and $160 and beloved by Sofia Coppola and Wes Anderson, “they have no name, no embellishments and once you wear them they become yours” says Teresa Larson, the super-friendly store manager. She ran their New York flagship for six years before moving to L.A. to open the new West Coast boutique which launched June 16. Larson is fanatical about the unisex denim, their biggest-selling item. “It is so different than most L.A. denim lines in that we keep things very simple,” says Larson. “We want to make people, you know, a little more chill with their jeans."
Caroline Ryder is Style editor-at-large for Metromix Los Angeles
