This season's John Varvatos man is on the move. "He started in London and ends up in Milan", the American designer mused before the show. "He traveled by train". And in the Milanese military school where it took place, an enormous set of gravel-inlaid train tracks stretched out before a station's clock to form the runway. His long-haired waifs literally took to the rails to a Black Keys beat. Imagining the necessity of frequent adjustments -for city visits versus small-town sojourns, warmer climes versus colder- John Varvatos and his stylist Bill Mullen emphasized mutability. Looks were composites of layers upon layers : sleeveless coats became vests worn over thick, nubby cardigans; suede biker jackets turned waistcoat when layered under wool overcoats. Texture, whether in the form of hairy sweaters, chemically treated fabrics, or raw edges left raggedy, trumped all. In fact, there was hardly a look without two or three. Palimpsest styling is not new, but it added a welcome spark to the offering this time around, which in some seasons can feel overfamiliar. The JV staples and standards recur time and again. But here was a reminder that John Varvatos -more the train than the traveler- still does his part to push them forward.
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