Wild at Heart
The John Varvatos man is “Wild at Heart” and torn between appearing refined and elegant and exuding an effortlessly cool exterior. His rock ‘n’ roll edge was still evident in the undertones of the collection, but was pumped up this season by exotic animal prints and unexpected, luxurious fabrics – washed velvet, leopard print calf, and cracked leather finishes were seen on many of the jackets. Despite a rebellious tone, Varvatos’ unparalleled attention to craftsmanship stood out as inner rebel angst emerged to the surface. Varvatos sharpened the overall cut of his suiting with elegant one of a kind evening pieces, including a sharply tailored leopard topcoat, a black velvet tuxedo, and a series of double-breasted, ultra-fitted suits in a predominantly black and gray palette. His liberal use of animal prints in coats, jackets, linings and shoes gave the collection a daring feel that embodies Varvatos’ trademark rebellious spirit. Among the many stand out accessories were leopard-print suede boots, a lynx messenger bag made of calf hair, and neckerchiefs and scarves that added a rakish touch to the refined rocker-wear. In a season where many of the collections were threaded with dissent, Varvatos was heard saying that in these political times he encourages young people to stand up and be heard. “Millennials need to be heard,” he said. “It’s their world that’s going to be affected. They have a voice and they have to use it.”
Backstage with Yannick D’I’s
In a lounge designed to hold maybe 50 people, 100 stylists, photographers and models crammed into a small backstage area, standing jowl to jowl as John Varvatos’ star stylist Yannick D’I’s tousled and fussed with each model’s hair. If you’ve ever seen a John Varvatos runway show, then you know artfully mussed, long hair is a must. Yannick D’I’s perfectly illustrated the romantic hero of the collection by giving each model a voluminous “Duran, Duran” style blow out. While other short-haired models like this year’s special guest “Machine Gun Kelly” were given a spiked up ‘do with a rock ’n’ roll edge. Yannick D’I’s employed a variety of styling products to achieve the “cooler than thou look” using Bumble and Bumble Thickening Full Foam Mousse and Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil to smooth the ends, followed by Bumble & Bumble’s Semisumo, then finishing with Bumble and Bumble’s Thickening Dryspun Spray. His trick for creating volume on shoulder length hair requires employing a large barrel sized curling iron, then blowing out the hair and brushing it out. D’I’s genius for styling resulted in glamorous “rock star, ” hair that captured the duality of John Varvatos’ “Wild at Heart” collection.
John Varvatos’ Rock ‘n’ Roll Rebels
See All the Looks from John Varvatos’ Wild at Heart Collection
