John Varvatos

Profile

John Varvatos did his best to ignore chants of “Down with $800 pants!” when he opened his third store in the space vacated by iconic punk club CBGB. Like in his ad campaigns, in which rockers like Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, and Scott Weiland mug as models, Varvatos makes overt parallels between fashion and rock and roll in the store’s design, even selling seventies audio equipment, shelves of vinyl, and electric guitars, alongside his minimalist menswear. A small, newly built stage is strewn with pairs of distressed-leather boots, and a weathered Marshall & Wendell piano doubles as a display table for graphic T-shirts. Rolling racks full of rock-inspired jackets, dress-down knit linen shirts, and collectible vintage band tees from What Goes Around Comes Around fill the room, where the scent of leather has replaced the smell of stale beer and cigarettes, but the original makeshift wallpaper of graffiti and show posters remains. Mounted electric guitars signed by Cheap Trick and Velvet Revolver—as well as a fully functional Captain Fantastic pinball machine emblazoned with Elton John’s likeness—lend a vaguely Planet Hollywood vibe, but in hosting sporadic in-store performances by young musicians, Varvatos tips his ($200) hat to the space’s grungier roots. — Lauren Murrow

Formalwear

Fashion-forward grooms will love the black suits with two-button jackets ($1,595) or Varvatos’s tuxedo, a spectacular two-button number with a peak satin lapel ($1,895). Alterations are included.

Related Stories

Featured In

• The Everything Guide to Shoes: Men's Shoe Primer (2/12/07)