Last night, your correspondent found himself at Motor City rock n’ rolla cum menswear icon John Varvatos’s NYFWM presentation in the brand’s Bowery flagship beneath a massive banner posing the query “Rock is Dead?”
Spoiler alert: it ain’t.
And traditional runway experience this was not.
In the place of dead-eyed models walking two straight lines bisected by the ever-tricky 180° turn, Varvatos and his team kitted out the former home of legendary punk club CBGB with a maze-like multimedia installation featuring – among other things – cheeky lyrical homages to bands both past and present projected/painted/advertised in neon across the walls, models decked out in animal heads putting a scare into passersby, and at least one giant bunny in a coffin.
Varvatos’s signature sartorial audacity was fittingly turned up to eleven, with razor sharp velvet suiting, military-inspired outerwear with leather trims, and a range of the designer’s infamous ankle boots done in everything from burnished leather to snakeskin taking center stage.
In short, the kind of pieces you throw on when you want to give your ensemble some tailored, frontman-worthy edge.
Long live rock indeed.
The installation is open to the public beginning today, Wednesday February 3rd at 8 E. 1st St. just east of Bowery – if you’re in the NYC area, we highly suggest you get down there to check it out.
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