Monday 7:00 PM The Promenade • JOHN VARVATOS
We know we're way past day 3, but we had been going to so many shows at the beginning of Panasonic Nokia Olympus Fashion Week, that we forgot we actually needed time to write about them. One show The Shopound didn't want to miss was John Varvatos. We're biased, and he's one of our favorite designers to wear, and there were tons of things in this show to add to our wardrobe. Varvatos is the most prominent menswear designer who shows regularly in New York. Nobody can touch Ralph Lauren's behemoth business, but former assistant Varvatos' devoted following keeps growing and growing. The crowd at his runway show Monday night demonstrated this by raucously cheering the designer like he had just made a winning touchdown. The secret to his success is knowing just how to mix fashion into his line of easy sportswear and suiting without scaring off he average guy.
The result is an appealing collection of clothing. The show was styled with an eye on punks, as the designer's muse of the moment is Iggy Pop. Trousers were narrowed and cropped at ankle length, and jackets were deconstructed and distressed. For men who can't give up cargo pockets, Varvatos introduced flight pants, a narrower version with just enough pockets and zippers to hold everyone's phones, iPods, Blackberries, and PDAs without having to carry a bag everywhere. 
For his burgeoning U.S.A. collection which grew out of the denim portion of the main collection, Varvatos offered his unique take on washed and weathered classics and that prep/punk duality.
The Shophound hopes this collection continues to grow and show men that here is life well beyond Abercrombie & Fitch.
Music: Iggy Pop
Swag: One Iggy Pop "Lust for Life" CD
Celebrities: Jeremy Sisto, JC Chasez
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