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John Varvatos Turns ZZ Top Into Sharp-Dressed Men

With all the rockers he taps for advertising campaigns, one gets the impression that John Varvatos might rather be a columnist for Rolling Stone than a successful purveyor of cool high-end casuals. On top of turning Bowery Bum headquarters CBGB into a retail outlet, Varvatos has used Perry Farrell, Chris Cornell, Franz Ferdinand, and Cheap Trick to hawk his wares. Now Varvatos has picked the billy-goat-bearded bluesmen of ZZ Top — famous for their sequined suits, colorful cowboy hats, and spinning, fur-covered guitars — for his fall campaign. Certainly, the power trio forwards a certain kind of dive-bar cool that transcends style or trend (have you ever seen their faces without sunglasses? Didn’t think so), so we’re game. But will the band’s white whiskers and and resemblance to a troupe of nineteenth-century gold prospectors scare away the younger consumer Varvatos is always hunting? We’ve never thought of excessive facial hair as a sales driver — but then again, Dov Charney has done some truly wonderful marketing with beards.

Sharp-Dressed Man [Fashion Scoops/WWD]

John Varvatos Turns ZZ Top Into Sharp-Dressed Men