BAND OF OUTSIDERS IN MEN'S NON-NO AUG2007

There is a short but sweet article about Scott Sternberg and Band of Outsiders in the August issue of the great Japanese fashion magazine Men's NON-NO. Because of the great help of a certain someone (thank you, Ikuko), we are able to offer a rough translation of the article to our blog readers. It is great to see so much attention being paid, all aorund the world, to this great brand. Band of Outsiders has been featured heavily in recent issues of Men's NON-NO and can be found at several shops in Japan, including American Rag Cie.

note: as this is definitely not a professional translation, the quotes should not be taken literally.

'Scott Sternberg came from the glamorous Hollywood movie industry and into fashion. He left his previous TV relations in 2004 to start his own brand, Band of Outsiders.

"We must spend so much money and time to make a movie, but fashion is not like that at all; fashion is much faster. It comes around and changes all the time. I was always keen on fashion. I like the speed of fashion world; if you cannot make a good shirt this season, you can always try again the next."

He is known by everone in the movie industry, but he found himself to be too much of a 'Hollywood Insider' [but outside of the fashion industry] which inspired him to use the label 'band of outsider.'

" I am a real outsider in fashion. In fact, I never studied fashion and, before it, was in a different industry completely. But I really enjoy feeling like an outsider in fashion because I can do whatever I want without too much consideration."

Sternberg's design is traditonal all american clothes. He is strongly inspired by his own roots, such as shirts with small details and specially manufactured suits.

"Shirts are the American male's must-have item. From children to adults, it is a familiar item; myself included. I really want to focus on basic fashion. Another masterpiece of the brand are suits. We are making them with a traditional tailor whose customers include former President Clinton."

His ambition is not to make the brand too developed, but to spend much time on each item, piece by piece. Sternberg's all American, modern yet real clothing is a refreshing take on fashion."'

Although they are going fast, we still have several shirts and a couple ties left from our last shipment from Band of Outsiders. We are also expecting more for Fall.

B.SON

B.Son have returned with the basic, yet elegant Japanese-jersey pieces that have quickly become their trademark. Designer Brandon Scott (ex-Nice Collective) describes this season's collection as “The Year of Bauhaus." (more here)

One thing that is quickly apparent about all these pieces is that the material is very breathable, and that, combined with the modern cuts, make these items perfect for layering, even during the warmer summer months.

Blackbird completely sold out of our last shipment from this young, upstart brand (you might remember their cowl necks causing quite a sensation), and we expect this round to go just as quickly.

Overlap V-Neck Tee [$58]

Pencil Stripe Pocket Sleeveless [$58]

Cowl-Neck Tee [$65]

Zip-Up Turtleneck [$85]

Button Hoodie [$86]

Sleeveless Hoodie [$84]

UNHOLY MATRIMONY BAGS

Along with the t-shirts, we were also able to get some very cool bags from Unholy Matrimony.

Each bag features a large flap with tie closure which opens to reveal a very large storage compartment. They are great for hauling around things in these final Summer days.

The bags are available in (left to right in the picture above) black, dark gray, and navy. They are $85 each.

UNHOLY MATRIMONY T-SHIRTS

Brett Westfall has been creating his own brand of wearable art under the name "Unholy Matrimony" since 2002. Soon after starting the label, he came into contact with Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons, who ended up loving his work. He collaborated with Kawakubo for "Brett Westfall for Comme des Garcons" and since then has been becoming more known throughout the fashion world. You can see more of Westfall's artwork and further activities on his webpage.

Each piece is worked on completely by hand; the artwork, the dying and processing, the distressing. As a result, each one of these t-shirts are one of a kind and made in very limited quantities.

The T-shirts are $58 each.

"Rats"

"Tree Revenge"

"Whale"

"Hammer Heart"

"Chex"

PWRFL POWER AT CAPITOL HILL BLOCK PARTY

Blackbird friend and oftentimes model (seen here, here, etc), Kazutaka Nomura, also plays wonderful music under the moniker PWRFL POWER. Back in June he happened to beat a handful of other artists at the Block Party Battle of the Bands, winning himself a spot on the main stage at the Capitol Hill Block Party (Stranger article about his winning here.) You can go see him tomorrow (7/28) at 2PM on the main stage, right before Mirah. Congratulations, Kazutaka!

BIG FISH IN BALLARD

Dante of Dante's Inferno Dogs (along with the support of Venue, the Ballard Chamber of Commerce, and the Olympic Athletic club) is hosting the first-ever outdoors movie screening in Ballard. It's going down tomorrow night in the Olympic Athletic Club parking lot (corner of Shilshole Ave NW & 22nd Ave NW, right by Blackbird). Gates open at 7:30pm. Remember to bring your own seating (bean bag, bench, lay-z-boy recliner, etc) and $5 to support the Ballard Food Bank and Boys & Girls Club!

LAST DAYS

We've reached the finish line, and when the store closes tomorrow, so does our Final Clearance Sale. We still have lots of awesome stuff at crazy prices (Kenzo Minami tees for $59.99! What?!) and our racks far from "picked-over." Just to clarify some questions we've been getting, the items we have on sale will continue be sold at their marked-down price (and will be moved upstairs to the loft to make room for all our new A/W 2007 stuff), but the 40% off the last marked sale price deal only lasts until this Friday. Don't sleep.

BALLARD SEAFOOD FEST

This weekend, don your viking helmets and get yourself a heaping helping of the 33rd Annual Ballard Seafood Fest. Check out this video from a Lutefisk-eating competition from last year's event, complete with questionable eating techniques and accusations of cheating! Lutefisk is serious business.

ACNE JEANS

Acne always is doing some great jean washes. These three jeans are the latest offerings of them that we have and they are the perfect compliment to your mid-Summer outfit.

Max (slim leg/low rise) Cold ($318)

Max (slim leg/low rise) Portobello ($299)

Mic (straight leg/low rise) Shazz ($199)

NOM DE GUERRE F/W 2007 PREVIEW

Very soon we should be receiving our shipment for Nom de Guerre's Fall/Winter 2007 collection. This year they have really outdone themselves, offering excellent updates on some old favourites, as well as many great new pieces.

Below are the looks containing the pieces we will be receiving, as well as the colors and sizes. You can see all of the looks on the Nom de Guerre website. In addition to what is below, we will also be receiving Nom de Guerre's always great take on the classic M65, in both black and grey heavy wool.

The blog readers will be the first to know when the collection officially arrives at the store.

Wool Trench coat (grey/S, M, L, XL)
Deconstructed plaid corduroy shirt (grey-black/S, M, L, XL)
Deconstructed plaid corduroy shirt (red-black/S, M, L, XL)
Classic Fit jeans (indigo/28, 30, 32, 34, 36)

Heavy wool Shawl Collar coat (black/S, M, L, XL)
Zip up thermal hoodie (black/S, M, L, XL
Zip up thermal hoodie (burgundy/S, M, L, XL
Loose Fit jeans (indigo/28, 30, 32, 34, 36)

Standard wool blazer (black/S, M, L)
Narrow Fit jeans (light grey/28, 30, 32, 34)

Wool Crew Neck sweater (navy/S, M, L, XL)
Classic Fit jeans (indigo/28, 30, 32, 34, 36)

Wool Cardigan (burgundy/S, M, L, XL)
Classic Fit jeans (indigo/28, 30, 32, 34, 36)

Moleskin Safari shirt (olive/S, M, L, XL)

Waxed Cotton/fleece Deconstructed Deck hoodie (black/S, M, L, XL)
Waxed Cotton/fleece Deconstructed Deck hoodie (olive/S, M, L, XL)
Classic Fit jeans (indigo/28, 30, 32, 34, 36)

Waxed Cotton Hooded Parka (black/S, M, L, XL)
Waxed Cotton Hooded Parka (olive/S, M)
Loose Fit jeans (indigo/28, 30, 32, 34, 36)

Waxed Cotton/fleece Deconstructed Deck hoodie (black/S, M, L, XL)
Waxed Cotton/fleece Deconstructed Deck hoodie (olive/S, M, L, XL)
Classic Fit jeans (indigo/28, 30, 32, 34, 36)

Zip up thermal hoodie (black/S, M, L, XL
Zip up thermal hoodie (burgundy/S, M, L, XL
Loose Fit jeans (indigo/28, 30, 32, 34, 36)

BAND OF OUTSIDERS

Band of Outsiders is perhaps best known for their shirting, and this latest batch of oxford shirts from their A/W 2007 collection certainly shows why. As everyone who has come into Blackbird and tried on one of these can tell you, the construction (made in the USA) and the fit (a slim, tailored look that blows away anything else out there) of these shirts are second to none.

These shirts also come in "tall" lengths (shown on the model below) that add a bit of length to the sleeves and body without compromising the shoulders and the overall narrow fit of the garment.

Band of Outsiders Overdyed Oxfords [$210]

Granada Blue

Almond Green

Chalk Blue

Band of Outsiders Stripes and Checks Oxfords [$239]

Brown Tatters

Dark Blue Multi-Stripe

In addition to the shirts, we also received new Band of Outsiders ties, which, if the last batch of ties we got in are any indication, will be going very quickly.

Band of Outsiders Ties [$120]

Multi-Color Stripe

Woven Grey/Black Stripe

Blue/Black Stripe

Brown/Black Stripe w/ Crests

STEVEN ALAN IN DNR

The man behind our popular line of button-ups that perfectly straddle the line between casual and formal, Steven Alan, was recently featured in DNR. We think that they basically hit the nail on the head when describing why the signature shirts have become so popular:

"The signature sport shirt, with its rumpled preppiness and subtly tweaked construction, is the powerhouse of the four Steven Alan boutiques... even heading to Milan’s 10 Corso Como this spring. Tucked side seams and twisting plackets are the sort of details that the uninitiated wouldn’t immediately notice, but that the growing club of customers and aficionados use to recognize each other in crowds." (more)

JC|REPORT COVERS MENSWEAR

"Competition drives markets, and judging by the fall collections that will soon be in stores, there's plenty of it in New York's menswear game. As a sequel to last year's feature on industry veterans returning to try their hands at menswear, we present an array of new players who have a fresh perspective on American masculinity, and are seeking to make their own distinct dents on the industry..." (more)

This is a great feature on many up-and-coming menswear designers of New York. Blackbird will be receiving shipments from a handful of them for Fall: Patrik Ervell, Loden Dager, and Robert Geller. Nicole and Leah are heading soon to New York for the A/W08 buys and a meeting with Tim Hamilton is planned.

As mentioned earlier, our first Geller shipment is on its way. More from the other brands should be arriving more towards Fall. Be alert!

AMERIVESPA 2007 RUNWAY SHOW

Amerivespa is the annual motorscooter rally hosted by many enthusiastic scooterists and the Vespa Club of America. This year, Seattle was chosen as the location for the rally, and Blackbird was asked to put on a fashion show for all the stylish scooterists during the grand banquet.

The indomitable Leah Lawrence styled the entire show, and used some of Blackbird's best customers as her models, while Red Light helped to provide us with some vintage womens wear for the female models.

Photography by Sara Robbins