JohnVarvatos

John Varvatos to New Launch Leather Goods Line

Stylish designer John Varvatos is launching a full collection of leather goods for his John Varvatos USA label's Fall / Winter 2010 season. Geared to a younger sensibility than his eponymous collection, USA espouses a preppy-meets-rocker style based on an "imperfectly perfect" appeal. The new collection includes belts, bags, small leather goods and accessories, all featuring meticulous attention to detail and highly innovative finishes. The bags are hand-stitched in Italian leather, with raw-cut edges and chunky hardware giving an edge to their refinement. Wallets are made from soft hides but clip onto tough biker chains. Zippers, studs and hanging medallions featuring the peace sign adorn the bracelets and belts, which are hand-stained with feathered edges. Our favorite are these handsome canvas and leather satchels; other bags feature skull, guitar and marijuana leaf motifs. Price points for the collection range from $65-$550, with bags starting at $150; small leather goods starting at $68; and belts starting at $65.

Tags: bags, belt, John Varvatos, JohnVarvatos, leather, leather goods, leathergoods

Varvatos, Hilfiger & More at Oceana New York Launch

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Charity, Green, Big Givers

Oceana, an international nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. dedicated to protecting and restoring the world's oceans, celebrated the launch of Oceana New York on Monday night with a star-studded bash at the stunning penthouse of socialite philanthropists Alexander and Brenda Schweickhardt (above, far right). A tableaux vivant of mermaids entertained guests at the event, which was sponsored by Tiffany & Co., including Sam Waterston and Sue Cohn Rockefeller (above, far left), John Varvatos and wife Joyce (above, center) Jeff Goldblum, Gina Gershon, Tommy Hilfiger and wife Dee, New York Jets tackle Damien Woody, New York Gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio, and socialtes Denise Rich, Bettina Zilkha and Jean Shafiroff. Since its founding in 2001, Oceana has achieved several major victories including protecting more than 640 million acres of ocean habitat.

Tags: celebrity, environment, John Varvatos, JohnVarvatos, New York, NewYork, ocean, Oceana, Tiffany Co., TiffanyCo., Tommy Hilfiger, TommyHilfiger

Ernst Benz Chronoscope Limited Edition Watch For John Varvatos

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Ernst Benz Chronoscope Limited Edition Watch for John Varvatos

Available exclusively at select John Varvatos boutiques, these limited edition Ernst Benz Chronoscope John Varvatos watches represent the designer's love of timepieces. Instead of offering uninspired fashion pieces, Varvatos was smart enough to partner with a fine watch maker known for their iconic designs and limited production. That way he could offer watches with his name on them that he could be proud of. The watch takes the standard Chronoscope watch and adds a John Varvatos name on the dial, special dial colors and hands, retro style chronograph pushers, contrasting brushed and polished finish on the case, as well as well-matched straps made of exotic materials such as crocodile, bison, and styles of custom leather. The rest of the watch should be more or less the same as the standard Ernst Benz Chronoscope automatic chronograph movement watch models. The watches are limited to just 250 pieces per each of models. Prices will be about $6,800 each (direct from John Varvatos).

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: chronoscope, ernst benz, ErnstBenz, john varvatos, JohnVarvatos, limited edition, LimitedEdition, watch

John Varvatos Taps ZZ Top For New Ad Campaign

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style

A recent John Varvatos ad campaign featured the musicians from Franz Ferdinand but the latest ads reach a bit further back into the music archives. To match his rock and roll fashions he has chosen the members of ZZ Top to star in his FW09 campaign. View on Fashion reports that Danny Clinch, a regular collaborator with Varvatos, is behind the black and white photos which have the band's three members posing in the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. The ads look great, maybe every girl really is crazy about a sharp-dressed man.

Source

Tags: ads, fashion, john varvatos, JohnVarvatos, zz top, ZzTop

Converse Chucks and Purcells With a Varvatos Touch

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes, Men's Style

Selectism recently highlighted the Spring/Summer '08 Collection of John Varvatos amped-up Converse Chuck Taylors and Purcell Vantages. Apparently styles are veering away just a bit from the popular laceless Chucks, although they're not gone, with a return to the more traditional laced Chucks. Varvatos also styled hi-tops and added the Purcells.

This collection features shoe-like sneakers (you won't be playing basketball in these) made from a mix of leather and canvas. Hi-tops are lined in a material that resembles mattress ticking, but with better colors.

Try as I might, I could not find these on the Varvatos site, but Zappos sells a few dozen of what might be last season's styles for between $95 - $145. Converse also featured about the same number of styles, although, again, not from this collection. These ranged from $110 - $145.

Looks like you need to find a Varvatos store to be so very this season.

Thanks, David, for this tip.

Gallery: Converse Chucks and Purcells With a Varvatos Touch

Tags: chuck taylors, ChuckTaylors, converse, john varvatos, JohnVarvatos, purcell, zappos

John Varvatos Shoulder Folio, Handbag of the Day

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

When it comes to men's bags, there is always a relatively thin line between fashionable and feminine, but the practicality of having a bag at your side keeps many men looking for just the right one. The John Varvatos Shoulder Folio is masculine and has a distinct look of usefulness. The bag is made of Italian suede with a light camouflage-print and measures 13"x 16". It has a long, adjustable leather strap that can be looped across the shoulders or just slung over one and three zippered pockets: one each on the front and the back, in addition to one inside. Price: $595.