BEAUTY: Clothing--John Varvatos

As a young man, John Varvatos was obsessed with rock n' roll... seemingly not so much for the music, but for the clothing. The Rock Gods of yore certainly had their own distinctive style (Jagger, Daltrey, Bowie, Pop, et al), and for many seasons now, Varvatos has been creating wearable versions of the rock n' roll lifestyle for those who yearn to dress like those preening bad boys of rock. So it is completely fitting that Varvatos' inspiration for his '14-'15 Fall Winter collection was KISS, the 70s make-up band. To begin with, he sent out models in make up that could be described as KISS-lite. The black and white (like the make-up of KISS) collection that unfolded from there was full of the usual Varvatos versions of Edwardian and Dandy-inspired coats, ties, and hats (I love the long Edwardian coat with the padded black leather sleeves from a motorcycle jacket, second photo down, on the left). He even manages to reach back a bit further in British history to include beautiful pieces and silhouettes that allude to the romantic ideals of the Highwayman and Pirate, which enchant me...

A final set of models sported full-on KISS make-up...

...and at the end of the show, Varvatos came out for his bow with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss... the original members of KISS!

http://www.johnvarvatos.com/