A Pop-up For Your Pops

It's nice to see a great designer show some love to all the daddies out there. Just in time for Father's Day, John Bartlett is hosting his own NYC paternal-minded pop-up store that will feature his new John Bartlett summer collection for Liz Claiborne. Remember, this is his lower priced line that still maintains a sartorial appreciation, so it's perfect for the already styled or badly-in-need-of-style papi in your life.

Claiborne by John Bartlett Pop-up Shop

New York City

June 18th - 22nd

11 AM to 7PM daily

claibornebyjohnbartlett.com

John Bartlett For Liz Claiborne

John Bartlett is upping the cool factor at Liz Claiborne. Bartlett is launching his first lower-priced line for the label this week. Look for classic pieces like the pictured navy utility jacket and Tim Hamilton-ish checkered shirt to hit his West Village store at economy-friendly prices ($178 and $69.50 respectively). And, if you're one of those mix-high-with-low kind of guys, the Liz Claiborne goods will be sold alongside Bartlett's runway collection, which retails for, well, runway prices. 

-- Seth Plattner

John Bartlett on lumberjacks, soldiers and delivery men (oh my!)

When John Bartlett started designing clothing in 1992, so many men were still wrapped up in the threadbare clutches of grunge, and metrosexuality had yet to come barreling out of the closet. Bartlett’s visionary sketches of sharp, stylish, not-too-formal men quickly earned him accolades, most notably the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s best menswear newcomer award in 1993 and 1997’s Menswear Designer of the Year. In doing so, he proved that dressing men with an undercurrent of queer iconography -- later employed by Hedi Slimane and Tom Ford, among others -- could be a critical and financial success.

Even so, Bartlett quit the business in 2002 -- taking a sojourn to Cambodia and Thailand to study Ashtanga yoga and Buddhism -- and returning to fashion quietly in 2003 with a small collection of tailored clothing and accessories. In 2007 Bartlett opened his first store, and in 2008 he became Creative Director for the Liz Claiborne brand’s men’s division. His first collection under the John Bartlett for Claiborne label hits stores spring 2009.

Out.com spoke with Bartlett about his love of masculine icons, New York’s West Village and what he’s learned from manning the store himself. You can read the full interview here.

-- ANTHONY DEL TUFO

For John Bartlett, home is where the ready-to-wear is

Photo: Getty Images

Why bother trudging through midtown's muck and traffic to roll out your Spring 2009 collection at the Bryant Park tents when you can just do it in your living room? That's what John Bartlett was thinking when he decided to stage his eponymous line's show in his Greenwich Village duplex on September 4.

"In today's day when everything is so overhyped and overproduced, it's better to keep things smaller and personal where you can see the clothes," Bartlett told Fashion Week Daily. "With menswear, everyone knows each other and it can be kind of like a party."

Bartlett will spend the next few days readying both his collection and his home, which was designed by his partner John Esty. "I'm going to remove all the furniture, bringing in some lights and keeping things low tech," Bartlett said. But as is so often true, a little hard work now means a lot less later: "I love the idea of being able to wake up and not have to leave the house to do a show," he says. Which has us thinking if Bartlett keeps this up, and art truly does imitate life, we might have a fabulous Fall 2009 collection of chic footie pajamas to look forward to.

Stay tuned for more about this Out 100 alum -- we have an exclusive Q&A coming Thursday at Out.com.

-- NOAH MICHELSON

Out 1400: Fashion Honor Roll!

Your StyleList reviewed the past Out 1400 honorees and took attendance of all the fashion designers between 1994 and 2006. Curious to find out who made the cut? Hope on over to the Out 100 blog for a fashion reunion. Lucky for you, someone spiked the punch.

Who has made the Out 100 list most? Here's a tally of our students who made the honor roll more than once:

Marc Jacobs - 5
Tom Ford - 4
Todd Oldham - 4
John Bartlett - 3
Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared - 3
Giorgio Armani - 2
Karl Lagerfeld - 2
Michael Kors - 2
Robert Duffy - 2

Shopping with John Bartlett

Photo: Courtesy of John Bartlett

In an industry full of dueling divas, big personalities and endless marketing stunts, John Bartlett is a breath of fresh air. Not only have his designs garnered fashion's top honors since launching his namesake collection in 1992 (he won two highly coveted CFDA awards—the Perry Ellis Award for Best Newcomer in 1993 and Menswear Designer of the Year in 1997), but he remains remarkably down to earth, humble and absolutely dedicated to the guys who wear his clothes.

This month, the out designer opened his first store in Manhattan's West Village, a "general store" that doesn't just hawk his  designer duds, but offers a beautifully edited selection of candles, ceramics, and accessories. And Bartlett takes service further—it's common to find him, apron and all, working behind the counter and helping customers face-to-face. It's difficult to imagine Tom Ford taking the time to do the same.

John Bartlett sat down with Out.com's Stylelist for a quick chat about his new shop, the state of fashion and why clothes don't necessarily make the man.

Out Stylelist: What inspired you to open your own store in the West Village?

Photo: Getty Images

John Bartlett: I have always wanted to open my own space—an environment that I could control, create, and meet my customer face to face. I chose the West Village because it is full of social and cultural history—it is bohemian, and dances to a different drummer, like myself. I also chose the West Village because I recently moved there with my hubby who has an incredible fine arts framing and preservation shop down the street from my own shop.

OS: How is your store different than other designer boutiques?

JB: I feel like my shop is more of a general store. I want men of all shapes and sizes to feel comfortable here, to feel welcome to hang out and look at an art book. My hope is that it will have a neighborhood following that grows and grows. I want to be able to greet my customer, know their name, and design with them in mind.

OS: Do you sell more than your own line of clothes?

JB: I sell moderno, a new ceramic line. The pieces are hand made and one of a kind. There is a bull's head on a pedestal, a fist, a barbell vase, and some more pieces to come. I also sell candles of all shapes and sizes in such scents as "fireplace", "tobacco-bark", and "bamboo", great tees that are screen printed by hand, and a line of  "rescued luxury fabric" scarves that are handmade by one of my goddesses in the Berkshires...Stuff like that

Check out more Q&A and photos after the jump!

Photo: Getty Images