5-pocket comfort skinny leg jean in light blue. Neither high nor low waist. 98% Cotton and 2% Elastane.

From www.april77record.com

The opening of the April 77 did happen, as ue%7C”>we said it would, and I decided to go and have a look. It’s at 49 rue de Saintonge, at the top of the Rue de Turenne, on the corner of a fairly quiet crossroads (Nearest métro station: filles du calvaires)

From the outside: The slim angle of the seven-storey red-brick building draws the eye, as do the white and green marble slabs above the windows.

Inside: Steven Thomas’s design works really well.

A few neon lights, furniture with beautful curves, a few old magazines, some vintage vinyl, a turntable…You wind your way through the world of April 77 like through a museum. Or maybe, you might say, like through a dressing room! This is perhaps because of the confined feel to the place, the shelves and the open wardrobes.

However, the design, impressive as it may be, is not all. This summer’s collection gives a real feeling of depth. On one hand, the influence of rock from, say, the 50s to the 80s is more noticeable than ever. It’s far from basic polo shirts with plectrum pockets on the chest and skinny jeans, which are undeniably popular, but are not really different from other brands. On the other hand the materials and details have been worked on, and some of it is really beautiful.

• Great looking, light, very soft, black-and-off-white cardigans with gold edging.
• Short-sleeved shirts and polo shirts with breast plates and/or black-and-white tuxedo shirts with unusual buttons.
• Some blazers, a silver Perfecto motorcycle jacket, and some very straight-cut trousers, that you might call well-cut, according to taste.
• Very retro “Supra” sunglasses in all colours.

All this work and investment comes at a price and the beautiful styles are as expensive as they are numerous, unfortunately. Even so, not all April 77 garb is to be praised, and you’d probably have trouble decking yourself out from head to toe in the store. All the assistants are very friendly except, perhaps, the store’s manager. Dont’ forget April 77 is also available from Printemps de l’Homme and Noir Kennedy. Even so, I recommend you go and visit their store. All the items are there (will be) and the ambiance makes the trip worthwhile!

The latest news from the brand is that a new online store, April 77 Market, will open soon. Along with a music label: April 77 Records! (see our Fashion Guide in Paris)

Sometimes fashion and music are on the same wavelength. The French ready-to-wear brand April77 arrived with the renaissance of rock culture. You have probably heard of them because of their skinny jeans. Last month they’re paying hommage to the famous guitar manufacturer Gibson by releasing 500 numbered pairs of skinny “Gibson” jeans. They are only on sale at Colette in Paris, Dover Street Market in London and Loveless in Tokyo. There’s a unisex “Joey” cut limited edition pair made from Japanese denim sold in packaging designed to look like a guitar case. Pretty cool, huh? All the more so given that there aren’t enough pairs for everyone…