Posts with tag Banana Republic

We love animal-inspired accessories. Animal prints and faux skins have become even more popular in mainstream fashion after the safari trend this past spring and summer, and we're anxious to continue incorporating these looks into our fall wardrobes. However, for some occasions, such as work, we prefer to keep our animal embellishments on the subtle side.

If you've been wanting to try ruffles this fall but haven't figured out how to wear them to the office, this silk dress by Banana Republic is a great way to do it. We adore the ruffled collar - it's a feminine and quality detail, and the ruffles that cascade down the bodice are reminiscent of those secretary shirts from the 80s, but much more chic. The defined waist and straight skirt are professional and extremely flattering, because you don't have to look like a man to be all business.

$150 at Banana Republic

Do you have anything in your closet that you can add to an outfit to give it instant interest and a pop of color? If you don't, you should. A funky belt, an unusual hat, or a gorgeous scarf, like this Silk Dot-print Scarf will do the trick while looking effortless.

It's available at Banana Republic for $49, and what we love about it is that it's so easy to wear. Drape it casually around your neck under a jacket, as shown here, or tie it loosely to add some punch to a dress.

And, purple is, in our opinion, a highly underrated color. It's dark enough to work elegantly with blacks and grays, but it's bright enough to take an outfit from boring to brilliant. But, if you're not loving the purple, the same design is available in brown, white, and turquoise.

All summer long we've been touting the goodness of wearing a summer hat -- you protect your scalp from sunburn, you keep your hair color safe, and, best of all, you can get away with not putting much effort into your hair, which keeps it healthier. With fall approaching, you might not be wearing the oversized straw hat, but there are plenty of fall-friendly caps to keep you covered.

Who wears short shorts? Your boss?!?

The New York Times is all a-flutter over the trend of men wearing dress shorts to work. Really? That's a trend? Click here. Debatably hot, but for formal work? Would you trust your trust fund to those calves?

The trend regrettably reminds us of those weird boys in school who wore shorts all year round for no apparent reason. Obviously, the men in the photos look more stylish, but we think part of them still may be on their way to Chess Club.

What's the hot color for this fall? According to designers at Banana Republic, H&M, and the Gap, it's depression-era grey. While they might be jumping the gun a little bit by repackaging styles from the Great Depression, it never hurts to try to stay ahead of the curve in the world of fashion. We haven't noticed any bread lines or wandering Okies -- do you feel like changing your style to suit the economy?

With all the talk about tooth art and the skyrocketing number of cosmetic surgeries in the US, it's hard to imagine people going back to the 30's for any other reason than for sheer novelty. Also, it's kind of an ironic way to try to boost slumping sales. The styles were previewed to Wall Street where they apparently got "mixed reviews." Basically, think Newsies: more hats, baggy pants, grey patterns, and utilitarian lace-up shoes.

Needless to say, we're not too wild about the look -- a little too costume-ish. Still, some of the styles will no doubt leak into the mainstream. If anything, we hope it's time for full-brimmed hats to make a comeback.

Have you ever noticed how much difference earrings can make to an outfit? It's strange, really, because they're generally situated above the ensemble, but the right earrings can take an outfit from bland to glam.

Have you ever gone into a trance while folding a pile of clothes, experiencing lucid flashbacks to your days as a Gap employee? Do you feel the need to fold shirts symmetrically, one by one, to preserve the order of the universe? If so, there's a good chance that you've been brainwashed by all of the hours you spent learning an perfecting your symmetrical folding technique. According to US labor statistics: there could be hundreds of thousands like you.

No -- outfitting you in crisp tailored button-down shirts and printed mini skirts, isn't enough. Banana Republic wants to help you smell a little bit better, too. The Gap Inc. brand is reinventing their Classic fragrance -- which was born in 1995 -- in celebration of their 30th anniversary this November.

Launching in August, Classic Limited Edition will be released in limited numbers at Banana Republic stores and www.bananarepublic.com through the end of December and will retail for will $48.

Perhaps you've received one after making a purchase at Banana Republic. That extra receipt with a url and the promise of 20% off your next purchase for answering a few questions about your visit to the store. Gap does them, too, as part of the same corporate monster.

The survey takes a good five to ten minutes, and you have to actually think about the service you received. But you get a discount code good for one full price item which must be used within three months.

Too bad it doesn't come with an alarm, or glowing red light to remind you to a) bring it with you when you go shopping or b) pull it out of your wallet where it's been folded for two months and 28 days. After all, the discount is only worthwhile if you use it!

We are all about the oversized clutch this summer. However, there are occasions when a large purse with no handles and no strap just isn't a very practical choice. Have you ever gone dancing with one in a place where you didn't want to set your purse down? We don't know about you, but we can't bust out our best moves on the dance floor with a handbag tucked under our arm.

You probably know that Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Piperlime are owned by the same corporation. You can use your card from one store at all of the other stores, and they all do a ton of cross promotion with Piperlime, the shoe site.

Good news for those of us who like to dress like a loose-cannon archaeologist who just got back from a trek through the African Savannah: the safari look is back. Ok, maybe it never quite left, but with the latest installment of the Indiana Jones movies hitting the big screen, safari fashion is roaring back into full force.


Designers are turning out all kinds of safari-inspired designs, decked out with all the unnecessary pockets, straps, and belt loops for the safari gadgets that you probably won't ever carry. Still, the look is rugged, military and functional -- 3 things that make you feel like a badass who can get through any kind of dangerous, life or death situation. Shouldn't fashion inspire confidence? Plus, we like any style that allows us to successfully incorporate a bull whip.

As we mentioned in an earlier post, this weekend we had a blister emergency. After a false start, Band Aids saved the day, but we still wandered into Banana Republic, like a zombie, to see if they had inexpensive backless sandals we could buy and wear out of the store.

We're shaking our heads at ourselves, even writing that.

Oh, please, admit you've done the same thing, possibly more than once. It's slightly less reprehensible when you buy the $4 red checkered material flip flops at Walgreens, but it's the same behavior. Blowing cash on an impulse buy is practically a national pass-time.