By Marcellous L. Jones

January 23, 2009


Milan, Italy - At John Varvatos we find exceptionally well thought out and composed silhouettes in black. The pants and trousers are all quite close to the body. This is inclusive of the slacks, the heavy cotton pants, and the formal trousers quipped with satin highlights tracing their out seams from waist to cuff as well as tracing the pocket’s outer edges.

In one of his silhouettes, obviously created for weekend urban street wear, Varvatos matches slim dark grey trousers together with a long sleeved, oval shaped collared cashmere top. He has finished that look off with a burgundy windbreaker style jacket in leather with faux wrinkles. What is interesting about the leather is that it has been especially crafted to make the jacket appear that it has built its own character through years of wear and tear.

John has particularly out done himself with his double font suit in a cashmere and wool blend. The suit is in grey and has perfectly placed pin stripes each separated with a 2 inch space. He complimented his exquisitely crafted suit with a second suit also in grey. This second suit is a “skinny” suit and has black trim highlights. Although the lapels are already quite slim, they are made even slimmer through the black trimmings that slim them down even more.

Though Varvatos focuses quite a bit on tailoring, one should not let that deceive them too much or give them the wrong idea. The designer has stuck to his DNA for the season and has blessed the collection with elements of sheer goth. The collection remains dark and has an edge to it with its many chains.