John Varvatos spares no expense transforming his frescoed show space at Corso Italia 21. This season s set had metal grates, swirling smoke, and sturdy cables tethering the runway up. It was abstract but familiar, until he clicked the parts together. "I created a bridge crossing an ocean," he said. "We bridged the English dandy and the modern age."
The dandy would ve been pleased. This collection used velvet by the yard: washed velvet brogues (the designer was wearing a pair himself), velvet motorcycle waistcoats, a velvet tux. There were capes and cutaways and rich jewel tones of garnet and violet. It s the medium, not the message, that s the leap. Varvatos beloved Detroit scuzz-rockers are all dandies par excellence, and though the materials may have been more precious here than in seasons past, Fall found Varvatos in familiar form. The boot-cut suits, the endless neckerchiefs, vests for days…well, boys keep swinging. Still, the impetus to up the materials—fueled by the designer s ongoing conviction that "guys are dressing up again"—pushed Varvatos to some interesting new finds, like the handwoven ombré fabrics that bled from gray to blue, a year and a half in development.
