Artisan’s Nightshirt

As advertised: “At the turn of the century, British artisans-the empire’s potters, silversmiths, cabinetmakers-wore shirts made of the thickest, plushest traditionally stripped cotton flannel, woven 29 inches wide; the fabric was doubled and the shirt sized by cutting a hole for the neck. The resulting garment was more like a cozy place to live than […]

The Bushman’s Raincoat

Introduced in the Fall 1985 “Notes from the Outback” catalog, the Bushman’s Raincoat is one of the more distinctive items BR produced. It’s about as dramatic and interesting as a raincoat gets and will make you look like you stepped right out of the 1982 Aussie film “Man From Snowy River”. It was offered in […]

Hooded Bush Vest

The Hooded Bush Vest was a real workhorse for Banana Republic. The design was first introduced in 1982, pre-Gap purchase and ran until 1988 and then beyond into the post-Safari era. Today they are ubiquitous and plentiful as they were big sellers for men and women at $39. Image from the Holiday 1982 catalogue. There […]

Banana Republic Old English Wildlife Engraving T-Shirts

Possibly the most famous and recognizable items from the Banana Republic Travel & Safari company, the Old English Wildlife Engraving shirts looked great and were a popular inexpensive item to grab if you wanted to capture the BR magic without breaking your wallet. Due to their ubiquity, they show up on the current eBay market […]

Yukon Shirt

I love the Yukon shirt. Ubiquitous in the catalogs, lined up in a wonderful array of colors like candies in a bowl. It came in a short-sleeved version, but to me the proper Yukon shirt is the long sleeve variety that will keep you cozy on a crisp fall day. It was introduced in summer […]

Elephant Bandanas

The set of Elephant Bandanas were sold in the summer of 1985 and are very fun to collect. BR did a number of bandanas and scarves, but these have the best pattern and use of the logo in my opinion. They came in two color sets–“African” (khaki brown, red earth, tan, and blue) and “Indian_ […]

Photojournalist’s Vest

The Photojournalist Vest was staple of Banana Republic until well-past the catalog era. What’s most surprising to me is that there were catalogs when it WASN’T included. (Spring-Fall 1986) It is ubiquitous on eBay to this day, as many were sold and they never wore out. Version One Version One of the vest debuted in […]

It is the Banana Republic Shirt. Literally.

Always one of the most affordable and popular items in the catalog, it was easy to throw one in with any order.  The style (as evidenced by eBay listings) is classic “Henley” but they called it “The Banana Republic shirt” at the time. It was simply their Yukon Shirt in off-white with a logo on […]

Scarves and Bandanas

Banana Republic Safari Scarves and Bandanas: Featured Items Banana Republic Scarves and Bandanas Looking for a particular scarf or bandana? Scroll through all of the catalog pages!

Sweaters

Banana Republic Sweaters: Featured Items Winter Tennis VestFrom the Fall/Holiday 1987 catalogue: “On cold, wet winter days, when the closest you can come to racquet sports is a desultory game of Ping-Pong, our Winter Tennis Vest is a remembrance of swings (and springs) past. V-necked and striped like a traditional tennis vest, it’s as soft [...]

Vests

Herringbone VestWhat’s interesting about this vest is it was sold in Fall 1988 but it’s label says 1986! It’s the same 1986 Original Design label seen on the Photojournalist Vest. From the Fall 1988 catalogue: “We’ve always felt that vests encompass the best of both worlds: warmth without weight or constraint. We’ve styled a sleek, [...]