Last week, I attended the launch party of John Varvatos‘ newest location in Yorkdale mall. The designer was present himself to sign copies of his first book, Rock in Fashion. The party was packed to the brim with stylish attendees who shopped the latest collections and meet Varvatos.
I was hoping to pick up a copy to get signed, but the line was so long and with a bad cold, I couldn’t wait too long. I leafed through the sizeable coffee table book, which is full of rare pictures of popular rock artists who defined fashion almost as much as their musical contributions. Who could forget the Beatles’ signature shag, chelsea boot and jacket? Or Keith Richards’ eccentric and disheveled ensembles; even Slash’s top hat? This book chronicles the rise of fashion in rock music, complete with anecdotes and history, making it a great gift for the fashion-minded rock enthusiast.
The store is beautiful, with a large black chandelier (I’m eyeing a smaller version for my bathroom), a silver piano and plenty of rock and roll posters, photographs and guitars, which feeds into the brand’s laid-back, rock-driven DNA.
I loved these boots with buttons, and after getting over the sticker shock, I realized there were slightly more affordable options available as well. A guy could style a complete outfit in this shop, head to toe, and they even stock sunglasses as well.
I’m looking forward to taking my guy into this shop and actually looking at the clothing. It was almost too packed that night to get a good look at the store, which definitely fills a gap in the commercial retail market for men’s fashion right now, particularly at Yorkdale, which has become increasingly swamped with high-end luxury stores geared towards women (even the AllSaints neighbour has a much larger womens’ section). John Varvatos comes in at a higher price range, but had many eye-catching formal AND casual pieces that a man could actually wear.