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John Varvatos & Guitar World Rock 315 Bowery

John — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:59:54 +0000

July 1, 2010…the Thursday before a long holiday weekend. I could just sense the traffic of all the New Yorkers fleeing town for the Fourth. But, for a lucky couple of hundred people who stayed city-side, the weekend was kicked off with a true bang as we partnered with Guitar World Magazine, who is celebrating their 30th Anniversary, to throw down with two amazing bands.

After hearing Andrew Wotman wail out on his guitar, we knew we had to introduce him and his band to the Guitar World community. The rest, they say, his history….or at least, history in the making. This kid is unreal!

Next up was Pisser, an illusive NYC underground band that sprung from Honkey Toast. Each member kind of went their own way after the 90’s and since have rarely been seen. They seem to wait just long enough, when you start to think Pisser was just an illusion and that you must be confusing them with some other band…and then like magic..they appear. It was a huge honor to have the band perform last night with front man Eric J. Toast, bass player Anthony Esposito from Ace Frehley and Lynch Mob, Frank Ferrara on drums from Guns N’ Roses and special guest appearance by Ron “Bumblefoot” Thale, also a GNR member.

Milan Men’s Fashion Week Spring 2011

John — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:56:14 +0000

This marks the tenth year for John Varvatos and our 4th season showing in Milan. Although I’ve been in this industry for over 30 years, and been a part of countless shows…there is always the element of the unexpected…which by this time, I have come to expect. To prove the point even further, I landed in Malpensa airport to find out my luggage never made it on the plane……who ever said fashion was glamorous?

Check out the week’s transformation……..

After endless days of styling and tailoring…we’re ready to head to Chiesa sconsacrata di San Paolo Converso, where we have shown for the past 3 seasons.

The quiet before the storm….

In just under 15 minutes, months worth of work walk down the runway.

After 10 days in Milan, countless hours of styling, editing, meetings, interviews and a few dozen coffees, my luggage finally showed up. Who would have expected it?

Thursday Nite at 315 Bowery with Michael Monroe

John — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:19:03 +0000

Michael Monroe opened his set at 315 Bowery with Nothin’s Alright by the ultra hardcore fan favorite side project, Demolition 23. The rest of the set was peppered with Hanoi Rocks favorites like Motorvatin, Back To Mystery City, Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Malibu Beach. The crowd got to enjoy all the action of Monroe’s latest group, consisting of Sami Yaffa (Hanoi Rocks, NY Dolls) Ginger (The Wildhearts) and Steve Conte (NY Dolls).

Thursday Nite Live w/ Michael Monroe from John Varvatos on Vimeo.

Half way through the set, Michael cracked his head open on the overhead monitors and started bleeding. He didn’t seem to mind as he kept belting out the songs. Now if that ain’t Rock n’ Roll somebody please tell me what is?!!!!

The band even came back for a double encore of two of my favorites, Kick Out The Jams by The MC5 and Feel Alright by The Stooges. I’m just saying, you can take the guy out of Detroit, but you can’t take Detroit out of the guy!!

Iggy Pop & Patti Smith Perform at Carnegie Hall

John — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:44:59 +0000

My friend Stephen and I went to the the 20th Annual Benefit Concert for Tibet House US. Among the performers were Patti Smith and one of my all time favorites, Iggy Pop. Check it out……


20th Annual Benefit Concert for Tibet House US from John Varvatos on Vimeo.
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What I’m listening to now…..

John — Mon, 03 May 2010 18:53:15 +0000

Scott Morgan, Scott Morgan – Another gem from a true original. Scott makes Detroit proud.

Iggy and The Stooges, Raw Power – Down & dirty. Raw Power is “THE” seminal punk rock album of all time.

Jesse Malin & The St. Marks Social, Love it to Life – Jesse is one of the great American songwriters of our time. Love it to Life is his best album yet.

Peter Wolf, Midnight Souvenirs - The former J. Geils front man delivers another powerful album. Very cool, eclectic mix of songs.

Jimi Hendrix, Valleys of Neptune – The last studio recordings. It makes me miss Jimi even more.

Sweet Apple, Love and Desperation – J. Mascis from Dinosaur Jr.’s new group. Killer R ‘n R!!

The Beatles, In Mono – All 13 albums in glorious mono. The best sounding Beatles release ever.

Peter Frampton, Thank you Mr. Churchill - Peter’s back with a rockin’ set that leaves you wanting more.

BoDeans, Mr. Sad Clown – Milwalkie’s BoDeans deliver another great slice of Americana.

The Byrds, Untitled (Legacy Edition) – My favorite Byrds album. Expanded with additional live material. A must have.

A Gathering For My Friend, Jim Marshall

John — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:33:35 +0000

I had been in collaboration with two great photographers, Jim Marshall and Timothy White, who had just published a photography book called Match Prints. Over their twenty year friendship, Jim and Timothy discovered there were striking similarities in their work, despite the photographs being taken 30 years apart. We were set to kick off the Match Prints book tour at my Soho Store on Wednesday, March 24th, when Timothy called with news of Jim’s passing. As we were both trying to sort through all the emotions that come with losing someone unexpectedly, we didn’t know how to proceed with the evening’s event. Should we cancel? In the end, we decided to provide a place for people to see his iconic photos, hear friends speak of him and remember the history he captured and created.

Jim was a man of few words….Timothy explained, and most of them were “Fuck!” In his honor, the crowd gave the finger, mirroring Jim’s famous Johnny Cash photo.

We’ll miss you Jim. You left us too soon.

Jim Marshall, my friend

John — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:53:38 +0000

We lost one of our closest friends and a cultural icon today. I will miss Jim very much, but his images Will Not Fade Away.

Fashion Week at 315 Bowery – Alberta Cross & Guns n’ Roses

John — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:25:35 +0000

New York Fashion Week usually means Bryant Park filled with white tents and the worlds’ most beautiful people who are escorted from their cars to the their seats…trying not to get any remaining slush from the winter storms on their trendiest footwear. Well, that may be a typical day for the rest of NY’s fashion seekers…but for us, it was a bit different. It was a night filled with a live performance by Alberta Cross and a surprise set by Guns n’ Roses. There wasn’t much room to be had at 315 Bowery on Thursday, February 11th….but no one seemed to mind as they pushed towards the stage to get a glimpse of the infamous Axl Rose - in his element!!

To quote the man himself, “This was the best F***ING show of our tour!!” Enough said.

After much anticipation….the crowd waited a near two hours after Alberta Cross performed to see Guns n’ Roses. But Axl didn’t disappoint when he arrived, making a b-line straight from his ride to the stage. The crowd cheered and moved closer to hear the opening song – “You’re Crazy”.

The hit list continued for two sweaty hours with songs including “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Paradise City”, “Mr. Brownstone”, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, and “Nighttrain”. But don’t think for a minute that Alberta Cross didn’t bring their A game – cause they did and I’ve never heard them better. It looks like Petter’s been taking some notes…because he captured the audience like an old pro!

Grammy Party – John Varvatos Los Angeles Store

John — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:57:06 +0000

I was asked to design the exclusive t-shirt for the 52nd Grammy Awards. The inspiration was “We’re All Fans” which was a no-brainer for me because I am such a music junkie. On top of that, 100% of the sales goes to the charities MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation.

As a way to celebrate the Grammy’s, I threw a party at my Los Angeles store and had my new favorite “it” band, Alberta Cross, perform. The turnout was amazing… I got to catch up with some old friends, have drinks, raise money for charity and most importantly – jam out to some live music.

Check out the red carpet line up…..

I first saw Alberta Cross perform at Austin City Limits and knew instantly that they had a shot at becoming the next big band. I was thrilled to have them perform at the party. Their look and sound, to me, really reflects the early roots of Rock N Roll. This ain’t no glam rock band – they’ve got soul!

Alice has been a good friend for many years… it’s always fantastic to have a fellow Detroit native come out and support us!

You know it’s a party when Joel Madden from Good Charlotte shows up.

Two of the sweetest and most genuine people I know… Etty and Perry not only show up to support me – as they have in the past – they just chill with the crowd and enjoy themselves. Super down to earth and it’s such a breath of fresh air… no egos here!!

The Man, The Myth, The Legend… Dave Matthews. Alberta Cross will begin touring with him soon and he came out to show his love.

I got the thumbs up from Common on the T-shirt design… he rocked it at the party… good thing we didn’t get any shots together, as I was wearing it too!

Could you just throw up at these two? Not only are Rande Gerber & Cindy Crawford super attractive, they are amazingly kind and compassionate. My wife Joyce and I were happy to strike a pose with the former super model and her spouse.

I take it back… you know it’s a party when Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan (who escaped the photographer) from Velvet Revolver show up!!!

John Legend is a class act from top to bottom. This guy is super talented. It looks like he’ll be rocking it soon too.

As Alberta Cross took the stage, my man Petter lets it rip.
This shot says so much to me about Alberta Cross… dark, mysterious, magical and full of soul.

We packed them in… including the fire inspector!! In LA they actually follow the maximum capacity rules… can you believe it??

John Varvatos Fall 2010 Runway Show, Milan Italy

John — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:18:41 +0000

Ahhh… Milan – the food, the wine, the women… wait a minute that’s why I got into fashion but that’s not how it really is!! I hit the ground running when I landed in Milan to prepare for my show. Not only is there barely any wine to be had… I barely see the light of day, let alone the Duomo. Needless to say, it’s an electric and dizzying experience as my team works to make every look from the Collection just right. And, just like most things… the planning is long and arduous… however, the event… only minutes!! It’s insanity at its best, but what an adrenaline rush!

Line ‘em up and knock ‘em down….we’re figuring out the run of show here…who goes where and when.

My motto… God is in the details. A final tweak before he hits the runway.

You are nothing without a great pair of shades………see what I mean?

Me working….and this guy – just hanging. That’s what I should’ve been…a male model. I bet you he’s had both wine and women and its only mid-afternoon!

And we’re off…..

After 36 looks…the models take their final walk down the runway and I catch my breath, but only for a moment…its back to the showroom for interviews and appointments…no rest for the weary!