With the SAG Awards behind us – and Oscar nominations not coming till February 17th – L.A. is in a Grammy frenzy this week. There are Grammy events tonight (Thurs 1/28), Friday and Saturday, culminating in the big show on Sunday. Tonight, John Varvatos presents a Grammy party and concert at his L.A. store on Melrose and Robertson, the concert with band Alberta Cross – it also is celebrating the debut of the John Varvatos designed “We’re All Fans”- inspired GRAMMY T-shirts benefiting MusiCares® and The GRAMMY Foundation®. Celebrity guests will include Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, two-time Grammy winner Ben Harper, two-time Grammy winner and current nominee John Legend, Dave Matthews, Dave Grohl, Sheryl Crow, Common, Dave Navarro, The Bravery, Grammy winning band and current four-time nominee Kings of Leon, Keri Hilson, Russell Brand, Alice Cooper, Wayne Kramer, Grammy award nominee Ryan Adams, Joel Madden, Donovan Leitch, current Grammy nominee SilversunPickups, Jeremy Piven, and Mark Wahlberg. Friday night there is the “Friends and Family” Grammy Event with Paramount and Rock the Vote. All the major music execs will appear at thisone, and there will be performances by: Estelle, George Clinton, Jay Sean, Kevin Rudolf, Mayer Hawthorne, Theophilus London, with DJ sets by: ATRAK, Junkie XL, Benny Blanco, and Classixx Expected celebrity guests include George Clinton, MGMT, Adam Lambert, Avril Lavigne, Kid Rock, Weezer, Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Russell Brand, Mickey Avalon, Tila Tequila, The Roots, Robert Randolph, Slayer, Eagles of Death Metal, K’Naan, Tony Kanal, Jay Sean, A Fine Frenzy, Steve Aoki, Kevin Rudolf, Mickey Avalon, Busta Rhymes, Miranda Cosgrove, Kara DioGuardi, The Fray, Kelly Clarkson, Lykke Li, Sam Sparro, Paris Hilton, Noisettes, Bonnie McKee, Mayer Hawthorne, Nervo Sisters, Priscilla Renea, Won-G, Kwame, Theophilus London, Twista, and Tierra Marie. This takes place Friday night at Paramount on stage 18. And of course, Clive Davis’s night before party will take place Saturday night, and it will star-studded and super glam.

Tags: Adam Lambert, Cindy Crawford, Grammy Awards, Grammys 2010 Fashion, John Varvatos
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John Varvatos – the American menswear designer MOST obsessed with rock music, is getting in gear for The Grammys, which are January 31rst (there’s an awards show almost every weekend till March 7th, the Oscars.) He’s having an event at the Melrose Avenue store (8800 Melrose at Robertson, across from Cecconi’s restaurant) with the New York rock band Alberta Cross on Tuesday January 28th, with cocktails and performance. This is a private invite, we want you to know, but what’s interesting is that JV is going to debut a new line of T-shirts called the John Varvatos for Grammy Label, with will benefit the Grammy foundation and the organization Musicares.
And one thing we did NOT know about John Varvatos is how good is eyewear is – for men and for women. Here’s a shot of Jessica Biel wearing these gold JV aviators on the set of her new movie, “The A-Team,” a remake of the old tv show, with Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson. In case you want to buy these, they are John Varvatos Eyewear style V723 in gold, $340. http://www.johnvarvatos.com.

Tags: Jessica Biel, John Varvatos, Musicares, The Grammys
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John Varvatos seems to have more stores than any designer in the world right now! He just opened at the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas, so if you’re in Vegas and you’re a guy – or need to dress a guy – this is a good thing for you to know. It’s nice to know someone’s doing so well!

Tags: John Varvatos
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We always knew ZZ Top had a severe sense of style. Remember that music video for “Legs,” where the young waitress gets treated to new shoes courtesy of her ZZ Top angels? These guys might be Texan – but they’re cool Texan. Now mens’ designer John Varvatos, who’s had real success with using rock bands like Franz Ferdinand, Velvet Revolver, Cheap Trick, and artists like Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Perry Farrell, Joe Perry, Ryan Adams and Chris Cornell in his ad campaigns, has hired photographer Danny Clinch to shoot an ad campaign with the member of ZZ Top wearing Varvatos. It was shot against a life size diorama of a buffalo at Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles – a setting fit for the trio from Texas: Billy F Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard. These guys have been together for 40 years of rock on the road and in the studio, and how fabulous that they’ve been able to get older and still be rock-relevant and iconic – like The Stones and Lou Reed and Aerosmith.
Music photographer and documentary filmmaker Danny Clinch has captured some of the most iconic names in music: Cash, Springsteen, Dylan and Tupac, just to name a few.
Click here to watch the making of the campaign

You’ll be seeing it soon on billboards near you.

Tags: Danny Clinch, John Varvatos, ZZ Top
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Menswear designer John Varvatos is no stranger to music – he dresses tons of musicians (as well as actors), and has used them in his ad campaigns, including Franz Ferdinand in the most recent campaign. His stores also sponsor musical performances from time to time – particularly his store in New York at 315 Bowery in the East Village, which was formerly the site of the infamous 1980’s punk club CBGB, which launched the Ramones, Talking Heads, etc.. Now Varvatos has signed on to do a monthly XM Sirius Satellite Radio Show on their “Faction” channel, starting May 5, called “Born in Detroit.” The premiere broadcast will feature a live performance by the legendary New York Dolls, and they’ll be performing live from the Varvatos store at 315 Bowery. Wanna bet David Johannson of The Dolls wears a lot of John Varvatos? He certainly will now! He was always a very dapper guy anyway.

You can get more info at www.sirius.com/faction, or www.johnvarvatos.com.

Tags: John Varvatos
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For seven years, menswear designer John Varvatos has hosted the Stuart House Benefit to raise money for the Rape Treatment Center. And this year’s Sunday event, complete with a performer by ZZ Top – those sharp dressed men – raised $350,000.00 for the Stuart House.

It’s always a great event, with loads of celebs bringing their kids for cupcakes and petting zoo’s.  Varvatos had a little help by co-hosts Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, attracting 1500 peeps including Eric Dane, Justin Chambers, Bridget Moynahan, Angie Harmon, Greg Kinnear, Jim Belushi, Gina Gershon, Michael Chiklis, Shannon Doherty and Chris Cornell. Varvatos, along with Converse (he designs a line with Converse, as well), closed down Melrose from Robertson for a few blocks in either director. 25% of the boutique’s sales also went to the Stuart House. And even in this economy, people shopped for the cause. In fact, Varvatos said. “People come out to support a worthy cause no matter how difficult times are.” Varvatos is big on dressing celebs, and particulary, music men – his new ad campaign features Franz Ferdinand wearing his suits.

Tags: Angie Harmon, Bridget Moynahan, Chris Cornell, Eric Dane, Gina Gershon, Greg Kinnear, Jim Belushi, John Varvatos, Justin Chambers, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Michael Chiklis, Shannon Doherty
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John Varvatos just opened there. Missoni is about to open there. Retailers from all over the world have gotten really smart about the fact that residents of Malibu probably have lots of money – whether they spend weekends or all week there – they SPEND. So instead of waiting for them to come to stores, they are bringing the stores to THEM. Now, Tommy Perse of Maxfield’s on Melrose, one of L.A.’s greatest stores, is opening in Malibu in the next few months. Now, do people wear Yohji and Commes des Garcons in Malibu??? We thought they just wore Juicy Couture Well, we bet they start pairing their Juicy with cashmere sweaters and Yohji or Rick Owens jackets. Heck, there isn’t much to do in The Bu in the winter – but now residents can add SUPER SHOPPING to the list. Sure, Theodore and Planet Blue carry some good chic brands (Marni, Anna Sui, Ann Demuelemeister, Gaultier), but nobody does like Maxfield’s. Get ready for a black out on Malibu Beach!! And get ready to see Victoria Beckham in The Bu – whether it’s Malibu, or Nobu Mailbu.

Tags: Ann Demuelemeister, Anna Sui, Commes des Garcons, Gaultier, John Varvatos, Juicy Couture, Marni, Missoni, Planet Blue, Rick Owens, Theodore, Tommy Perse, Victoria Beckham, Yohji
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Economic crunch? WHAT economic crunch? The retail stores just keep opening in L.A., spreading like the wild fires in Malibu . . . this one IS in Malibu, which is becoming a little retail hub (Missoni’s opening there soon) – making it possible for residents of The Bu not to have to leave to shop. Damn, they can probably just surf right into their favorite stores.

John Varvatos, the great men’s designer, is opening a Malibu store this weekend on October 4, in the Malibu Country Mart on Cross Creek Road. And if you’re feeling a bit like taking a ride up the PCH this weekend, there will be a charity benefit concert which starts at 4pm on Saturday (to benefit the Malibu Legacy Park Project), with Donovan Leitch, Dave Navarro, Billy Morrison from The Cult, and members of Guns n’ Roses and Jane’s Addiction will also play with them.

So, even though we doubt too many Malibu men wear those beautiful John Varvatos well-cut suits – although holiday season is coming – they will also be carrying jeans, t shirts, sneakers, jackets – the works.

Tags: Billy Morrison, Dave Navarro, Donovan Leitch, John Varvatos
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You don’t think of John Varvatos has a menswear designer with a rock n’ roll edge. Well, surprise: Monsieur Varvatos is opening a new concept shop in Fred Segal Man in Santa Monica on Thursday night this week called “315 Bowery,” from 6 to 9pm. The shop has a design reminiscent of an old English mens’ club combined with somewhere the Rolling Stones could have cut a record – a recording studio feel with a bespoke edge. The clothes for men here will be leather jackets and coats, vests, great shirts, jeans, boots, t shirts – maybe a few sweaters and turtlenecks. Good place for the grown-up rock n’ roll boy to shop – particularly those over 40.

Tags: Fred Segal, John Varvatos
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