As far as inspirations go, it doesn’t get much better than psychedelic barbecue dad. If that description doesn’t do anything for you, think Don Draper on a weekend acid trip. That was Scott Sternberg’s vision for the Band of Outsiders Spring 2015 men’s collection.
Sternberg’s journey down the rabbit hole began with beautifully constructed, ingeniously twisted mackintosh raincoats. Trenches were turned inside out, covered in rivets, waxed, washed, and printed all over with abstract sailboats. No BBQ dad would be caught on the weekend without his sweats. The wavy, ombré Black Watch tracksuit was hallucinogenic. Tanks and crewnecks were made into surreal mash-ups with dress shirts. Elsewhere there were plenty of far-out visuals—locker loops multiplied and took over shirt fronts, plackets disguised as ties were patterned from collar to hem, and the preppy-favorite embroidered whale morphed into a pattern of colorful geometric shapes.
As you come down from the Band of Outsiders Spring experience, it becomes apparent that there’s much more than trim shirting in fun colors behind the label. There’s a keen sense of humor—the hooded sweatshirt with a cartoonishly large zipper will be an Instagram like-monster—and an uncanny ability to create classic menswear that refuses to fall in line.
