May 20, 2008...8:00 am
Band of Outsiders Versus Steven Alan
We all know that Apple has a keen eye for good design. Apparently, it extends to the wardrobe for the company’s ubiquitous Mac vs. PC commercials. The Apple character in the commercials (Justin Long) has been wearing some of menswear’s most stylish woven shirts. I spotted him in multiple Band of Outsiders and more recently in Steven Alan button downs. I first caught on to the trend while looking through the Band of Outsiders website a while back. Then recently, I noticed the bunched-up top button (calling card of the Reverse Seam Steven Alan shirts) in one of the new commercials. That got me thinking —woven shirt smackdown? I tend to wear both of these brands, with more emphasis on Steven Alan, mainly because my body type is much closer to Steven’s then Scott Sternberg’s and I think that designers like to base their patterns on themselves. Anyway, what say you? Which do you prefer? Band or Mister Alan?
Steven Alan Reverse Seam cotton shirt $168
Steven Alan Reverse Seam cotton shirt $168
Band of Outsiders cotton shirt $238
Band of Outsiders cotton shirt $238
17 Comments
May 20, 2008 at 9:23 am
Steven Alan shirts are regularly on sale for $60-80 and Band of Outsiders are three to four times that — so I have a closet full of Steven Alan shirts. And the arms are long enough, even on the smaller sizes.
May 20, 2008 at 12:40 pm
great post… haha
great eye as well!
May 20, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Justin’s been googling himself again.
May 21, 2008 at 10:14 am
Band of Outsiders, especially the darker hue. Great eyes for spotting that as well!
May 21, 2008 at 11:04 am
Too funny. It all depends on your body type. A friend of mine looks fantastic in Band of Outsiders and H&M, not so good in Steven Alan. The former are cut very slim. The quality of the fabric and construction in Band of Outsiders is superior. I, on the other hand, wear Steven Alan. I wish Steven Alan would bring back the button-down and get rid of those hippie-peasant styles they introduced for women’s S/S 2008.
May 21, 2008 at 4:26 pm
It’s legal for basic shirts to cost more than $200 dollar? Huh. I need to call my senator about this…
May 21, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Dear David,
The shirts are $200+ but at least they (Steven Alan and Band of Outsiders) are made in the United States.
Regards,
A Continuous Lean
May 21, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Steven Alan shirts start at $165 but if you know where to look, you can get them as low as $70.
May 21, 2008 at 6:50 pm
There are well-designed American shirts available for less than $200.
Regards,
Jasper
May 22, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Some advice, for $200 you can visit a tailor in NYC and have a shirt custom made. Unless, of course, you wanna dress like Justin. Please.
May 22, 2008 at 10:15 pm
To the Justin who commented: You’ve got a great blog.
June 1, 2008 at 7:16 am
[...] new favorite blog of mine, A Continuous Lean, has a post on the shirts that Justin Long wear as he personifies the young and “edgy” personality [...]
July 1, 2008 at 2:27 am
j crew has been quietly offering well made slim cut shirts in very cool patterns and fabrics for a while now–a one third the cost of either brand. in one case, they used the exact same fabric as a steven alan shirt–and the cut was better. the menswear designers at crew know who to steal from, then do it cheaper.
July 6, 2008 at 11:18 pm
wow! can any of u guys tell me where to get Steven alan’s shirts for 70 bucks?!
July 6, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Sadly, I think most Steven Alan shirts are no longer made in the USA. They’ve gone up in price, too.
Band of Outsiders shirts, as far as I’ve seen, are still made in the USA. There are a few shirts in every season that aren’t as fitted. Even fat-asses like me can wear Band of Outsiders.
July 8, 2008 at 10:26 pm
There’s a great series of Q&A ’s with both Steven Alan and Scott Sternberg on Valet magazine.
Check them out.
- http://www.valetmag.com/style/profiles-features/2008/behind_the_seams_steven_alan.php
- http://www.valetmag.com/style/profiles-features/2008/scott_sternberg_of_band_of_outsiders.php
July 10, 2008 at 4:33 am
Any of you guys here have tried on the new label by steven alan lark and wolff? how is the fit like?
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