John Varvatos brings his high-end, rock-and-roll menswear to Yorkdale Shopping Centre

Menswear designer John Varvatos, known as much for his rock’n’roller friends as his rocker aesthetic, has landed in suburbia, of all places. The label’s 12th stand-alone store, which opened this week in Yorkdale Mall, does its best to emulate the downtown vibe of its Manhattan flagship in iconic punk-rock club, CBGB. The spacious new location, whose walls are plastered with photos of music greats, carries all three of Varvatos’s brands: the decidedly upscale John Varvatos Collection, more casual duds from John Varvatos USA, and his line for Converse sneakers.
Expect plenty of distressed leather, slim-cut suiting separates, layering tees and and skinny scarves, plus jewellery and Varvatos’s limited-edition watches for Ernst Benz. The street-ready designs are perfect for displaced former-downtown dads who want (and can afford) to bring a bit of edge back in their closets. Varvatos himself will be at the store on Wednesday night to sign copies of his book called, what else, John Varvatos: Rock in Fashion.
John Varvatos, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, 3401 Dufferin St. Su–Th 11–9, F, Sa 11–10