APC x vanessa seward

designer collaborations can be kind of a hit or miss. there's the good, of course: remember when missoni crashed target's website? and nike x liberty london have continually turned out amazing floral-printed sneakers (which sound wrong but are so, so right... as i proved around this time last year).

but then there's the bad. as much as it pains me to speak ill of my beloved doc martens, their collaboration with swarovski was not my cup of tea. the translation was a bit too literal -- and other collabs have suffered similar fates.

this was not the case for A.P.C. x vanessa seward, in which the sleek, minimal designs of A.P.C. get a healthy dose of femininity from vanessa seward, who used to design for azzaro. the collection is super-edited and cohesive -- imagine a stylish French girl suddenly goes ultra-glam. simple shapes and silhouettes meet unexpected hues (like slate blue and mocha brown), retro prints and ah-mazing shimmer finishes. it's sweet, modern, and not in the least bit "trendy" -- i can see myself wearing these pieces for years to come. with prices ranging from $300-$700, it's still an investment, but arguably an easier one to make!

below, my favorite looks:

{ images via refinery 29 }

II emily