THIS IS NOT A SPECTACLE

In an old tobacco factory Band of Outsiders provided the second American Outing At Pitti Uomo in Florence. Known for elaborate shows and responsible for polaroid campaigns featuring the likes of Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman, this offering was more performance art than traditional fashion show and featured all of their lines, including Band of outsiders, Boy, the polo shirt line This is Not a Polo Shirt and their new label Girl which is a more casual ready-to-wear womenswear collection.

"The starting point was all of these old musicals, and enjoying that kind of visual music; the corniness, the silliness and the technicolour. The way they dressed, a little too dapper and a little to polished. I was also looking towards early 80s American sportswear references, like windbreakers using a strange waxed cotton"

Designer Scott Sternberg's obsession with old school musicals and early 80s sportswear was evident as the show opened with a dramatic West Side Story 'Jets vs Sharks' scene; a mix of models and dancers as the rowdy 'gangs', each group wearing a different line in the Band of outsiders range. The collections once again engaged a preppy 80's vibe but it seems as if the label is growing up as Sternberg cites inspiration from Whit Stillman's classic New York film Metropolitan. There was a focus on lightweight sports fabrics, wearable and functional, but with a move towards formal elements and a more tailored silhouette.