Day in the Life: Scott Sternberg

The Band of Outsiders Designer Brings Fashion and Musical Theater to Florence

Famed for a predisposition to mise-en-scène in his biannual Band of Outsiders presentations, Scott Sternberg upped the cinematic ante at this year’s Pitti Uomo 80 with a West Side Story-inspired extravaganza. NOWNESS trailed the designer before and after the show, which featured 46 dancers and models sashaying to Leonard Bernstein's iconic score while outfitted in the brand’s eponymous line of preppy menswear for spring/summer 2012, as well as the tomboy-inspired womenswear range Boy and its offshoot Girl. “I wanted to play with this idea of fashion and theater or cinema,” Sternberg explains. “Things that I might have found hokey and corny I really responded to.” He worked nonstop to coordinate the casting, styling and choreography for the Broadway-worthy production, staged at Florence’s Manifattura Tabacchi, and spent his scant downtime in the opulent environs of Villa Cora. Based in Los Angeles, Sternberg travels to Italy nearly every six weeks to oversee the fabrication of his lines, which are manufactured outside of Venice. We asked the showman to compile a list of some other favorite musicals.

Sweet Charity: It's awesome, as is Shirley Mclaine. It feels really funny, odd and obtuse in a way.

Funny Girl: I love it, even though that sounds super gay to say. I don’t find Barbara Streisand to be the most appealing person in the world, but she’s so terrific in it.

Everyone Says I Love You: Woody Allen's movie is a really great musical about musicals.

Labyrinth: There are numbers in this weird sci-fi Jim Henson movie which are hilarious and so out of control: freaky Fraggles and David Bowie’s hair—so good!

Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: I really do have an affection for Veruca Salt and Augustus Gloop. The new version is freaking terrible. The Johnny Depp/Tim Burton combo has to stop. It’s like he’s playing Edward Scissorhands again.

June 28, 2011

Solange Knowles for Saint Heron: Eldorado Ballroom

Supported by Ferragamo and Ilia, Solange Knowles for Saint Heron curates Eldorado Ballroom, featuring six programs across three major Houston venues: Jones Hall, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the historic Eldorado Ballroom. The series aims to honor the legacies of Black artists while showcasing new voices and innovation in music. As a celebration of Houston's musical legacy, the program features nights of classical works by Black female composers, spiritual/gospel music, contemporary and performance art, and many other tributes to the city's sound culture. Two free film screenings accompany the series. 10 - 16 June.

UK AIDS Memorial Quilt

Initiated by Charlie Porter, the Tate Modern displays the entire UK AIDS Memorial Quilt, bringing its 42 quilts and 23 individual panels to the Turbine Hall. Visitors will have a rare oppurtunity to view the work, which spans the entire floor of the hall and represents 384 individuals affected by HIV and AIDS. The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt is a chapter of the largest community art project in the world, continuously aiming to raise awareness of the ongoing AIDS pandemic. There will also be an opportunity to warch unseen documentary There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (1995), screening in the Starr Cinema, along with a live reading of the names, and a special choral piece by the London Gay Men’s Chorus. Until 16 June.

David Hockney 25

David Hockney, one of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, has taken over the entire building of the Fondation Louis Vuitton for an exhibition that is exceptional in its scale and originality. David Hockey 25 brings together more than 400 of his works (from 1955 to 2025), including paintings from international, institutional, and private collections, as well as works from the artist’s own studio and Foundation. The exhibition shows how the artist has continually renewed both his subjects and his mode of expression, reinventing his art with the use of new media to become a champion of new technologies. Until 31 August.

NOWNESS