America invented the oxford cloth button down shirt, and Scott Sternberg made it matter. Sternberg started Band of Outsiders in 2004, and what began as, arguably, merely tightened-up versions of prep essentials has blossomed into an diverse collection of clothing that uses Ivy style as only one reference point in a galaxy of influences. The Band of Outsiders blog, like a peek at their inspiration board, features polaroids of California modern architecture, old candids of Keith Haring, and video of Bjorn Borg battling Jimmy Connors.

Band of Outsiders values the nerdy and obscure (it's named after Bande à Part, a Jean Luc Godard film that's a touchstone for film nerds but, let's face it, isn't playing at the mall multiplex), it's a uniform for the outsider who trades in inside jokes. The narrow ties and shirts cut close to the body form the backbone of Sternberg's collections, which have also featured yards of Scottish tartan, 70s-style camel polo coats, and special makeups of Sperry shoes.

A CFDA award winner in 2009, Band of Outsiders is a perfect fit for dudes who wish they lived in a Wes Anderson movie Read more, and the clothes are as carefully considered as a scene in Royal Tenenbaums. Jackets are impeccably tailored but closer fitting than your local alterations tailor is willing to go. Outerwear is similarly shrunken, looking like a badass hand-me-down from your cool older brother who's outgrown it and gone off to college or started touring with his band, Vampire Weekend. Shirts are all made in the U.S. Sternberg infuses New England classics with his California awareness and a generous amount of play. He even has a new line called "This is not a polo shirt." that makes, exclusively, polo shirts. Ha ha, Mr. Sternberg. You should write a screenplay.

Written by Pete Anderson

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