John Varvatos. Rock in fashion
Φωτ. Mick Rock, Bob Gruen, Elliott Landy, Danny Clinch, Lynn Goldsmith, κλπ.
HarperCollins books, 2013
Wild Style: Inside John Varvatos' 'Rock in Fashion' Book
Read the designer's thoughts on the looks of artists ranging from Robert Plant to Axl Rose
By Kory Growe. Rolling Stone, 21.10.2013.
"Music and fashion have had a kind of incestuous relationship since the Fifties," clothing designer John Varvatos says about the impetus behind his first book, Rock in Fashion, which is out now. "It started with people like Elvis Presley and pop icons like James Dean. Then it exploded in the MTV days. Now, with the internet, it's instantaneous."
Rock in Fashion, which Varvatos co-wrote with author Holly George-Warren, explores the relationship between music and fashion through photographs of musicians ranging from the Beatles to My Morning Jacket, some of which were previously unpublished. It breaks down different elements of artists' looks—hair, glasses, hats, scarves, shoes, tailoring, jeans, jackets and more—and it explains how the looks of musicians from one era influenced rockers decades later.
Fittingly, the inspiration for the book came from Varvatos' own style notebooks that date back to designs he had before he launched his own brand in 2000, following stints working at Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. Rather than assemble a book of rock-star photos, he put together everything from his thoughts on the history of music and fashion to his philosophies on runway shows and seasonal collections. "It contains the things that were influential to me," he explains, "whether they were culturally or literally from a design inspiration."
He says the most pivotal period in fashion for him was the early Seventies, his formative years. He cites the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, the Who, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix as his wellspring. "After the Sixties, it moved into an era of interesting fashion, where bands like Led Zeppelin were wearing tailored suits," he explains. "It was a time of dressing up again, but not in a father's kind of way. It was an imperfectly perfect way of dressing, which is really what my brand's all about."
To find out how music and fashion build off each other from Varvatos' perspective, Rolling Stone sat down with the designer to discuss why he picked some of the photos in Rock in Fashion. Click through the photos to find out how artists like Lou Reed and Scott Weiland impacted style in a big way.
