From the Fall 1985 Catalogue: “The frilled lizard of the Australian Outback may be less of a celebrity than it’s marsupial neighbors, but zoologically it’s equally unique. We found these depictions on Aboriginal bark paintings and rendered them in the vivid hues of the bush at sunset. Rectangular, no frills.” Pictures from Wendy Joffe’s Collection. […]
From the Summer 1987 Catalogue: “Printed on light, finely woven cotton squares, these richly layered designs come from Africa and the Middle East. The colors are vivid, the designs are bold. Suitable for wearing or for framing.” Pictures courtesy Kimberlee English Anderson Brown and Rust Versions Photos of the Teal version courtesy Wendy Joffe.
This bandana is not found in the catalog as far as I can tell, so I named it the Savanna Bandana. It’s made in Italy and so far I’ve found five variations, brown, white, red and blue–and PURPLE!
This large (29″x29″) scarf was not found in the catalogues. It’s pattern remind me of Wedgwood Blue china, so I’m calling it the Wedgwood Scarf. We have no idea when it was made, other than between 1984-1988. A Red version appeared on eBay in August 2021
From Spring 1986, a scarf inspired by the Kikoi Cloths: “We loved the texture and brilliant colors of the authentic African Kikoi Cloths but preferred a lighter weight fabric for scarves. So we had this feathery, drapy cotton specially woven for us in four color combinations that add a judicious measure of gaiety to an […]
From the Fall 1984 “Outfitters Who Outlasted the Empire” catalogue, the Donegal Tweed Throatwarmer Scarf. Photos courtesy Gary Pinkerton.
Yet another uncatalogued scarf….
White Aviator’s Scarf This is truly one of the ICONIC pieces from Banana Republic. Stylish and fun, it instantly transports you back to the era of the WWI Flying Ace. By far the most common of the three Aviator’s is the white Army Air Forces scarf. White silk, measuring 13 inches across and nearly two […]
From Holiday 1987: “Traditional British regimental patterns are usually made into ties. We relaxed the concept and knit them into soft, mediumwight wool scarves. Simply smashing in three authentic patterns.” Argyle and Sutherland Highlands version via eBay May 2021.
Appearing in the Spring and Summer 1986 catalogues, they made a re-appearance in Spring 1988. Only $15 for a set of four! Such a deal! From the catalogue: “If a leopard could change its spots it would surely choose the showier ones of the jaguar–ornate, rosettelike, rich in hue. We’ve printed them on our bandanas […]
From Spring and Summer 1988, this light Italian-made scarf came in Rust, Olive, Khaki and Natural. “Made from the same liberating fabric as our famous Ventilated Shirt, this breezy scarf confers instant panache in even the stickiest of circumstances. Unfurl it on mild days or balmy evenings when you want: a head wrap to repel […]
From Spring 1987: “No matter how far we wander, we still find rich sources of inspiration close to home. The designs on these scarves echo the patterns of Southwestern Indian blankets and pottery. We’ve interpreted them on featherweight cotton, light enough for a blistering Arizona noon, in a desert palette of azure, adobe, tan, sandstone, […]
The Kente Scarf From the Spring 1988 Catalogue: “The bold geometric designs and vibrant natural colors of the scarves were inspired by the large Kente-cloth drapes worn by craftspeople in Ghana. Each scarf is a wearable, affordable piece of art, illustrating the warm hues of the African landscape.” Indigo version from my collection Brick version […]
From Holiday 1986: “The Bambara women of Mali paint designs on their hand-spun cloth with mud, the bleach the exposed areas. What’s left when the mud is washed away are intricate, indelible patterns that tell stories of local heroes and happenings. We’ve reproduced these designs (called bokolanfini) on light wool challis squares, and dyed them […]
These elaborate made-in-Japan floral scarves are not listed in the catalogues, despite bearing a Stars and Bananas label. One of them features a price tag with red text and a bar code, which indicates it’s from the 1988/89 transitional period after the end of the Ziegler era but before new branding came in. The scarves […]
The Kikoi Cloth was discovered when the Zieglers travelled to Kenya for their first safari in 1984. They made shirts and skirts out of the bright colorful fabric and the versatile wrap was featured in the Spring and Summer 1985 (and 86) catalogue: “These brightly striped cotton cloths are hand-loomed in Kenya, where they are […]
Recently discovered by super fan Neal Moore and added to my collection, these uncatalogued bandanas initially reminded me of the Quiet Madras Shirt, also made in India, but the pattern actually matches the Mandalay Shirt better. These may in fact be remnants from the Mandalay Shirts, the pattern is quite similar. The blue Mandalay Shirt […]
These scarves/bandanas are not in the catalog. They are quite large and have a printed logo that I don’t recall seeing anywhere else.
From Fall and Holiday 1987: “Shimmering, clear colors, light but warm material, woven in an intricate jacquard design. At once functional and elegant, the luxurious wool-and-cotton blend gives off a silky sheen. If a scarf can scintillate, this one does.” Dark Papaya version from my collection.
This was shared by a member of the Abandoned Republic Facebook group. I’ve never seen one before. It wasn’t shown in any catalogs and she purchased it in a store. I love these surprises from Banana Republic! This is a color version of the stacked logo usually seen on the clothing descriptor tags.
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_ […]
Newly Updated! 1985-1988 Available.
