On Saturday (Oct. 2), legendary rock ’n’ roll photographer Mick Rock turned the Santa Monica Bloomingdale’s men’s department into a backstage lounge.

Rock, who launched his career in the early ’70s shooting Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie, flew out from New York to christen the John Varvatos shop in Bloomies by shooting portraits of shoppers who shelled out more than $250 on Varvatos jeans and Converse sneakers. Rock was also promoting his latest book, “Mick Rock: Exposed,” signing copies for customers.

In a nearly four-decade career, Rock has shot music icons ranging from Lou Reed and Iggy Pop to Madonna, Bono and Lady Gaga. He also dabbles in fashion and has shot Kate Moss, so he’s more than cool with partnering with designer Varvatos. “People say why are you doing this?” he says. “One, John [Varvatos] is a friend of mine. Two, he crossed my palm with some silver. And three, I got a bunch of free clothes.”

Rock chatted with All the Rage, while getting ready for his close-ups.

You've worked with David Bowie since Ziggy Stardust -- in the days before musicians had stylists.
David is much more than music and it always was with him. He was long, long ahead of everybody. He was so prescient. He had influence on all kinds of things like makeup on women – Ziggy Stardust makeup.

Who else did you enjoy working with?
Debbie Harry. In her prime, she was extraordinary -- there’s nobody -- all due respect to Madonna and Lady Gaga.

Kate Moss?
I shot her raw and rock ’n’ roll for V magazine. It was Johnny Rotten meets Debbie Harry.
She’s smart. There’s an old English phrase: There’s no flies on Kate Moss.

What’s the difference between rock ’n’ roll and fashion photography?
Rock ’n’ roll is an attitude. Even though I get people in incredible clothes, it's a lesser concern than the personality.

[In "Mick Rock: Exposed," we look at a suave Bryan Ferry wearing a tropical khaki suit] This is great men’s style.
That was in Holland Park, London, in 1975. Ferry's "our man in Havana" look.

Lady Gaga?
She has an echo of Ziggy Stardust in there. She’s musically talented. It’s a mistake to trivialize her because there’s been so much of it.

[We look at a picture of Ronnie Spector flashing her underwear]
There's Ronnie Spector in her knickers. I might not have published that if she were wearing a thong. It wasn’t about gettng a cheap thrill.

What bands do you enjoy shooting now?
I love the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I love the KiIllers. ... I love the Scissor Sisters.

Which of your portraits is John Varvatos' favorite?
Syd Barrett [Pink Floyd's tragic founding member, who passed away in 2006].

-- Max Padilla

Photo: Mick Rock at the John Varvatos event at Bloomingdales. Courtesy John Varvatos

A few notable happenings for a more stylish weekend:

EVENTS

John Varvatos opening event Saturday: Rock 'n' roll-obsessed designer John Varvatos opens a shop-in-shop at the new Bloomies in Santa Monica, and legendary music photographer Mick Rock will be on hand to take portraits of customers who spend $250 or more on John Varvatos, John Varvatos USA, or Converse by John Varvatos merch (see some famous Rock shots at right).

Bloomingdale’s Santa Monica, The Men’s Store, Level 1, 315 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica. (310)-985-6400. 2 to 5 p.m.

MAC Venomous Villains exhibit Friday through Sunday: MAC Cosmetics unveils its new Venomous Villains collection for the first time in North America — a collaboration with Disney that features looks inspired by four of Disney’s most famous villains: Cruella de Vil, Evil Queen, Maleficent and Dr. Facilier. Come for the complimentary makeup applications, costume styling, live DJs and photo souvenirs.

South Coast Plaza, Jewel Court, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. (714) 546-9555. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. www.southcoastplaza.com

Sam Edelman appearance Saturday: Trendy footwear designer Sam Edelman will meet and greet his fans (and sign shoes) at Bloomingdale's at Santa Monica Place.

Bloomingdale's, shoe department, 315 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica. (310)-985-6400. 3 to 5 p.m. www.samedelman.com

OPENING

Splendid: Luxury T-shirt brand Splendid opened its third standalone store last week at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, featuring all of the line's super-soft collections — Splendid, Splendid Mills (for men), Splendid Girl and Splendid Littles (for babies).
 
225 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. (949) 759-1743. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Frday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m Sunday. www.splendid.com

Gather: Katie Kay, former co-designer for leathery L.A. brand Skingraft, has opened a downtown boutique to "sell off treasures and do the dirty work for my amazing designer friends who hate the business side of this world," she said. There are unique housewares, Kay's own redesigned/repurposed furniture and mixed merch from local apparel and jewelry lines.

630 S. Main St., Los Angeles. (213) 623-5449. Call for store hours.

--Emili Vesilind 

Photo: Four legendary photos taken by Mick Rock, who will appear at the John Varvatos opening. Credit: Mick Rock.

Los Angeles is gearing up for Grammys weekend.

Tonight, fashion designer John Varvatos hosts a party at his Robertson Boulevard store to celebrate a line of "We're All Fans" T-shirts he designed for the Grammy Label to commemorate each of the nominees for best album (Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Dave Matthews Band). 

The shirts are $45 and can be purchased at John Varvatos stores, his website and select Bloomingdales. A portion of proceeds benefit the Grammy Foundation and MusiCares.

Tomorrow night, the Grammys Friends and Family Party takes over Paramount Studios. And Saturday, Ne-Yo hosts his annual Midnight Grammy Brunch at the new W Hollywood & Residences.
 
That's a lot of opportunities to play dress up, and that's all before the big event Sunday.
 
I have been talking to a lot of stylists around town who are expecting fashion at this year's Grammy Awards to be even more over the top than usual, thanks to a new crop of pop stars who have brought individual style back to the red carpet. Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Rihanna, Katy Perry and Adam Lambert will be ones to watch. What will they wear? Think corseted cat suits and mini-dresses covered in spikes.

"The Grammys is an opportunity to wear runway looks that are so funky that they probably won’t ever get produced," says Jen Rade, who is styling Pink for the Grammys, and also appears as a fashion commentator on the TV Guide network.

It should be quite a contrast to what we witnessed during the last few weeks at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and what we’re likely to see come March at the Oscars.

To read the rest of my story about the Grammys vs. film awards red carpet showdown, check out Sunday's Image section.

--Booth Moore

Top photo: MIA at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2009. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times.

Bottom photo: John Varvatos "We're All Fans" Grammy T-shirt featuring Lady Gaga. Credit: John Varvatos

The Warehouse Sale, a giant discount event featuring past season looks from John Varvatos and 7 for All Mankind with up to 90% off, runs Friday to Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center's West Hall. Head-to-toe men's gear from Varvatos is marked down including suits, leathers, trousers, jeans, knits, shoes and accessories. The 7 for All Mankind sale features 30,000 pieces including women's and men's jeans (starting at $65 on Friday, $55 on Saturday, $45 on Sunday), tops, dresses, handbags and kid's fashions.

RSVP for expedited entrance for Varvatos at www.johnvarvatos.thewarehousesale.com or for the 7 for All Mankind sale at www.7forallmankind.thewarehousesale.com. Shoppers can also register at the door. Parking available at West Hall, Convention Center (enter at Cherry Street).

1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday 

-- Max Padilla

The most surprising thing about the announcement that John Varvatos was rolling out an e-commerce site today was probably the fact that he didn't already have one. Sure, his rock-tinged wares can be bought online easily enough through other retailers' websites (including Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus and Barneys New York), but apparently the man who had the foresight to give the world the boxer-brief (during his time at Calvin Klein) and the lace-less Converse hadn't managed to cobble together a one-stop shop for all things John Varvatos in cyberspace. (No worries John, I don't think this Internet thing is going to ever amount to anything ...)

As of today, for shipping to U.S. addresses only, customers can shop for JV's ever-growing universe of clothes, accessories, footwear and fragrances at the John Varvatos website, where you'll also find some merchandise from the designer's Star USA line and Converse by John Varvatos shoes.

As someone who covers the runway shows, what I find most noteworthy is that, in addition to shopping by category, one has the option of shopping from a handful of complete runway "looks" as they appeared in the actual show. For example, if you were particularly taken with the outfit at right (dubbed "Look 28"), you'd just click on it and you'd get a breakdown of its six pieces: the Ago Chelsea boot, the Hampton two-button blazer, a five-button peak lapel vest, printed paisley scarf, solid long-sleeved shirt and slim-fit side-tab trousers.

It's not only the runway as lookbook, it's runway as catalog, and it will be interesting to see if men (at least those of us who are reticent to ask for help -- or driving directions) will use the looks as a general guide or buy the whole enchilada, as a kind of Garanimals for grown-up guys.

-- Adam Tschorn

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Photo: A look from the Fall/Winter 2009 John Varvatos runway show in Milan. One feature of Varvatos' new e-commerce site, which launched today, is that the pieces are merchandised together as a single "look." Credit: Peter Stigter and Jonas Gustavsson / For The Times

We should have guessed it was coming after the trio from Texas turned up for a 45-minute set at Varvatos' Stuart House benefit back in March, but we found out today that ZZ Top's next gig is as the collective face of John Varvatos' fall 2009 advertising campaign.

The ads were shot by Danny Clinch against a life-size buffalo diorama at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, with the campaign's creative director (YARD's Stephen Niedzwiecki) taking inspiration from the band's 1976 World Wide Texas Tour.

Go ahead, insert your own "Sharp Dressed Man" joke here. We're too busy trying to ignore the elephant in the room.

-- Adam Tschorn

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Photo: ZZ Top where the buffalo (and elephant) roam -- the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Photo credit: Danny Clinch

Dads usually play second fiddle to moms when it comes to getting fun, luxurious gifts. So this Father's Day, honor Dad with a present he deserves -- whether that means a father/son watch set that retails in the tens of thousands or a new Lakers T-shirt for less than $20.

See the items I'm obsessing about this week here.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photo: IWC Father and Son watches. Credit: IWC

In my January profile of John Varvatos, I mentioned that the rock 'n' roll-smitten menswear designer was finalizing a deal to host a monthly radio show for Sirius XM Radio. That deal has apparently been finalized, and we've received word from the Varvatos camp that the show "Born in Detroit" (a reference to Varvatos, who grew up in Motor City) is set to launch on Sirius XM's Faction channel on Tuesday, May 5, at 6p.m. PDT with a live broadcast performance by punk rockers the New York Dolls (their new album "Cause I Sez So" drops that day) from Varvatos' 315 Bowery boutique -- which you may recall is the former site of the CBGB nightclub. (And don't bother trying to catch it live -- I'm told it's a private, invite-only affair.)

Rock stardom. The shredding. The groupies. The clothing lines selling stuff using photos of your band. If that's your vision -- especially the bit about the clothing lines -- you'll like the path to fame dangled by rock-loving fashion designer John Varvatos and music label Island Records, who are teaming up for what they're billing as the first-ever John Varvatos Star USA “FREE THE NOISE” battle of the bands.

Running through July 31, unsigned up-and-coming bands can upload a recent concert of original music to Spinearth.tv/freethenoise. (Or they can keep an eye out for the 350+ SPIN Earth correspondents who are looking for contestants at clubs and festivals).

Finalists are chosen in August. In September, they'll be flown to New York City and perform at John Varvatos 315 Bowery (once known as CBGB's) during the spring-summer 2010 New York Fashion Week. And the winners get a development deal with Island Records -- as well as a starring role in the next John Varvatos Star Advertising Campaign and on the SPIN Earth website.

This all should come as no surprise to fans of Varvatos. As The Times' Adam Tschorn pointed out last winter in a profile of the designer, "He's made musicians and rock stars the core of his advertising campaigns, and the rock aesthetic is the foundation of his menswear.... Leveraging his love of music has helped him sell a reported $80 million worth of John Varvatos-branded clothes, shoes and accessories at retail last year alone, reaching an astonishingly broad base that reaches across generations from Zac Efron to Ian McKellen."

Thinking of entering? Maybe a peek at Varvatos' iPod picks will give you an idea of what they're looking for.

-- Whitney Friedlander

RELATED:

John Varvatos hopes to go global with rock-flavored menswear line

John Varvatos' iPod picks

Style Scout: John Varvatos Stuart House Benefit

All the Rage: More on John Varvatos

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Photo: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

My Morning Jacket's evening jackets were John Varvatos at the 51st Grammy Awards last night. The group was among the musical masses that turned out last night clad in clothes by the New York-based designer (whom we profiled earlier this year).

In addition, Dave Grohl turned out in a black, JV convertible collar tuxedo -- which just so happened to be the same thing Robert Plant performed in and was wearing on his third trip to the stage to receive the Grammy Award for best album with Alison Krauss (don't these guys call each other to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen?).

Plant actually wore three different John Varvatos outfits over the course of the evening (and won a total of five Grammy Awards), arriving in a double-breasted, cotton/linen trench coat with antique buttons and a white V-neck T-shirt, and accepting the duo's first two prizes of the night wearing a black leather biker jacket that made him look every inch the rocker (and made us long for the probably never-gonna-happen-with-Plant-on-board Led Zeppelin reunion).
But if such a reunion -- with Jason Bonham subbing in for his deceased dad John as he has in the past -- ever does come to pass (and if five Grammys on the mantle from collaborating with a bluegrass crooner don't make you feel like you've grown musically, what does?), maybe Varvatos will get a chance to fulfill a dream. On a record-shopping jaunt at Amoeba Music back in October, I asked the designer, whose music-centric ad campaigns have included Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper and Franz Ferdinand, if he had one rock band from history he'd want to star in a fantasy ad campaign. He didn't hesitate a millisecond:

"I would have loved to have Led Zeppelin," he told me.  "That was my very first concert when I was 14. It changed my life."

-- Adam Tschorn

Top photo: My Morning Jacket arrives at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards wearing John Varvatos. By Frazer Harrison/Getty Images. Bottom photo: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on stage with their Grammy at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. By Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times.