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Banana Republic Catalog No. 33 Fall 1987

Banana Republic Catalog 33 Fall 1987 Cover by An-Ching Chang

After hiking the Inca Trail in Fall 1986 we hit the Road to Mandalay for Fall 1987’s Catalog No. 33. This striking cover was done by BR staff artist An-Ching Chang.

The travelogue from Mel and Patricia’s journey to Burma is a great read and reminds me of the Soviet Safari as they navigate past an authoritarian regime to get a taste of real life for the people of this fascinating land.

The clothing and illustration continues to become more sophisticated and slick but retains the flavor of classic BR. As usual, there are a number of new items featured in the first few front and back pages of the catalog.

About The Author

Robyn Adams
Robyn's fascination with Banana Republic began in 1984 when her Alaskan adventurer father began buying the clothing and giving her the catalogs. She loved the clothes and as an artist she was drawn to the illustrations. She went on to study illustration at art college in BR's hometown of San Francisco and worked for years as a background artist for animation. She is now based in Oakland, CA as a graphic designer and illustrator with Secret Fan Base . She's been collecting and archiving at Abandoned Republic since 2011.

5 Comments

  • Mark Bottitta on November 13, 2012

    This is my first catalog from BR. I still have it. I still love the art to this day. I have two more but they are from 1989, with photography by Kurt Markus. eally nice but not as good as one of these illustrated editions.

  • smoore on February 1, 2014

    I have many of these catalogs. Kept them because I love the art and design. Shopped there often and have alot of there clothes including a pith helmet. Would like to be able to find clothes like this again but have not had much luck. I want my old Banana Republic back.

  • Jackie on December 18, 2018

    I think I found the cotton flannel houndstooth dress at my local vintage shop today! I’m thrilled because I’ve long been fascinated by the safari era of BP and I was happy to find such a dedicated preservation blog.

  • Paula Miller on January 19, 2020

    I loved everything from 1986 until they stopped making the safari-look and all of the cotton fabrics. Many times I’ve wished I hadn’t gotten rid of my grayish green jumpsuit. 😕

  • Heather on January 31, 2023

    I still have my leather purse/wallet pictured on page 59 (Women’s Leather Essential Bag) that I received for Christmas in 1987. It has been all over the place with me and I still use it for concerts and sporting events. Perfect little crossbody wallet–fits a phone, money, and cards with no room for anything else!

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