John Varvatos closes out inaugural #NYFWM in rock star style
Models walk the runway at the John Varvatos spring 2016 menswear show.
Music-loving son of Detroit John Varvatos brought the inaugural run of New York Fashion Week: Men’s to a close Thursday night in rock star style, the ceiling filled with umbrellas, the runway covered in striped fabric and the seats filled with a who’s who plucked from the world of music, photography and the celebrity stratosphere.
The event felt like a bit of a homecoming for Varvatos for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, he was a fixture on the twice-yearly New York Fashion Week calendar before deciding to show in Milan. Second, for spring and summer 2016, Varvatos, an ardent fan of all things rock ‘n’ roll (his ad campaigns are filled with rock gods, one of his boutiques is located in the former CBGB music club in the Bowery) went to his happy place, taking inspiration from the British rock legends that flocked to Southern California -- and Laurel Canyon in particular -- in the 1970s including Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and the members of Fleetwood Mac.
The resulting collection was an even more Varvatian (or is that Varvatosian?) version of the John Varvatos aesthetic, the bold stripes that dominated the collection playing perfectly against his signature military-inspired band jackets, silhouette or burnished lambskin leather jackets. While the dandy stripe, in a palette of black, white and gray, was certainly the collection’s equivalent of the frontman, appearing on everything from three-piece suits to tank tops, umbrellas, satchels and shoes, there were also enough abstract animal prints, windowpane checks, muted khakis and dusty aubergines to keep the runway from looking like a referee convention.
One of the over-arching trends on the runways this week was an exploration of texture, and Varvatos’ wares were no exception; what looked like a tailored denim tuxedo was actually indigo-dyed silk, knits were manipulated to feel more like textured animal hides and entire suits were crafted out of striped silk.
Did John Varvatos push the envelope? Not really. But he did fill that envelope chock full of menswear for the everyday rock star. Look for it in the mail next spring.
It’s the one with the return address “Laurel Canyon” scrawled in the upper left hand corner.
For the latest in fashion and style news, follow me @ARTschorn
