A much hipper friend of my dad's recently gave him a gift card to Banana Republic as a birthday present. My dad, who shops almost exclusively at Nordstrom and some place called The Custom Shop, decided that this would be a good opportunity to branch out and try some new styles. So armed with his gift card he left early on Saturday morning to check out the Banana Republic at the Garden State Plaza. He returned a few hours later looking slightly dejected and carrying three bags from Nordstrom.
"I thought you were going to Banana Republic," I said when he set his bags down on the table.
"I tried, but I don't think I belong there. It's not really...my style." he said sadly.
"Why do you say that?" I asked.
"Well," he said, placing his hands on the waist of his pleated front jeans. "The salesman said to me, 'this doesn't seem to really be your style.'"
At this point my mother walked into the room and saw the Nordstrom bags. "I thought you were going to Banana Republic," she said.
My dad sighed.
"It's not really his style," I said.
"Everyone was young. Or gay. Or young and gay. I felt...old. And heterosexual. Old and heterosexual," my dad explained.
My mom nodded, "No, you're right. It's not really your style. I used to love when they sold safari clothing."
At this point I looked up from my laptop, "Safari clothing? At Banana Republic?"
"Yes, when they first opened they sold safari clothing," my mom said. "I use to love their linen shirts."
Within three seconds I had googled the words "Banana Republic Safari Clothing" and was led to the following Wikipedia entry:
The original Banana Republic, which began in 1978, was a two-store safari and travel-themed clothing company. The majority of sales came from its eccentric catalog, which presented high-end and unique items with chatty, usually
fictional, backstories from exotic locations, as well as more pedestrian high-volume products deliberately spiced up with a similar treatment. The company competed directly with the J. Peterman catalog later satirized on Seinfeld. As Banana Republic expanded its retail operation, it became known for the themed decoration in its stores, often featuring authentic elements, such as real Jeeps and foliage, as well as atmospheric elements, such as fog and steam.
Wow. I am so upset that I missed out on this version of Banana Republic. It sounds like an Indiana Jones ride at Universal Studios. But with price tags... How fantastic that must have been. I'm still a huge J. Peterman catalog fan. I've been a subscriber since I read an article about it in Sassy magazine when I was 11 (this was actually before the whole Seinfeld thing, thank you very much). But you can't actually go to a J. Peterman store. According to the article, The Gap bought them out in 1983 and slowly phased out the cool jungle themed stores and travel clothing and replaced them with the "casual luxury" stores of today. I'm now completely obsessed with the idea of getting my hands on one of these original Banana catalogs:
I guess thinking about it, the whole "Banana Republic" name makes a hell of a lot more sense now...
I'm off to check eBay for vintage Banana catalogs.(Don't any of you dare bid against me).
6 comments:
what?! they're selling cashmere sweaters now? Hardly seems like a functional item to bring along with for a safari.
I know this is an old post, but I strongly disagree with mo and feel the need to comment.
A conveniently tucked away cashmere sweater (albeit not from BR) got me through an otherwise cold and rainy night at an eco-lodge off the coast of Honduras rather recently... all I am saying is that even the jungle does in fact necessitate cashmere from time to time
for some reason i haven't read this post until now, but i do vaguely remember the old school safari-style banana. i purchased a t-shirt from them when i was about 11 or 12, simply because it had an iguana on it.
see also the history of abercrombie & fitch: a former excursion goods store which now (scantily) clothes suburban middle schoolers.
I used to love the old Banana Republic. While everyone in my high school was wearing Chams, Members-only jackets, wearing polo cologne and Benetton clothes, I was sporting safari wear and rugged khakis. I loved it.
When Gap bought BR, it was the end of my fashion world.
I recently scored a pair of Vintage BR Linen canavas and leather boots on Ebay.$45 plus S&H and if I remember correctly the boots originally sold for about $65. Too bad the store is now a suburban hell-hole of overpriced fashion. Remeber, Form follows function! Just too bad I had to wait 15+ years for my boots!
You'll hate me for this. It still hurts. I had every catalog from day one and threw them out many years ago. It was the stories I liked, that are much like J.Peterman. I shopped at BR in Chicago and loved the way the store was so much like the catalog.
They were one of a kind and successful which is why Gap bought them out. They just weren't generic enough to be allowed to continue.
Thanks sop much for this stroll down memory lane, howbeit painful.
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