Banana Republic 1978-1988

deafdrummer

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I'm sure some fine dressers here recall going to your favorite safari and travel store, if not your favorite clothing store, period. Banana Republic of old! Not the upscale, modern crap they trot out now. If you want to go down memory lane, go here:

Abandoned Republic | A journey through vintage Banana Republic catalogs

If you go back to the web site and hover over Guidebook to click on BR History, you'll see the familiar safari theme of the stores in the photos. The reason I gave the title the years of birth and death is because 1988 was the year that the couple founders of Banana Republic resigned after clashes over "creative differences" with Gap. Gap had bought them out in 1983, but the Ziegler couple stayed on autonomously to run the company until then. The biggest mistake was selling the company to Gap. They ruined the company...

Had I known that Gap was going to do this to them, I would have lived at a shelter while working to buy EVERY SINGLE GARMENT hand-over-fist until supplies were completely exhausted. I am all about FORM AND FUNCTION over fashion, and I like a more rustic fabric, especially one with a softer and warmer hand to it. However, the fact that I changed genders in 98-99 would have posed a problem as to what to do with the storage stock of clothing, had I done that. I donated all the cool Banana Republic stuff I had, some of which was getting worn thin 12 years later, and quite a bit that was still in good shape. I remember the cargo shorts and pants, especially the Gurkha shorts. Naturally, the Gurkha shorts were still looking great when I donated it.

It was an absolute joy to shop there, at the Dallas store, in the 80s. I think they had the airplane in that store. I loved it, the safari look because it meant adventure, seeing something basic, hand-made. It represents to me, "I'm ready to go anywhere, anytime, and I can do it." To me, wearing formal clothes is like a cowboy deciding to ride into town one day without his gun. "Hey?!? WHAT YOU ARE YOU DOING??? You need this!!"

It seems to tie in with the earliest experience I have about clothes. It was Thanksgiving time, and my kindergarten was preparing us for the play. I remember standing on the choir stand on one side of the room after putting on black pants and the pilgrim shoes being put on. I took one look down at my feet and realized to my horror that I was chosen to be a pilgrim instead of a Native American. I freaked out and got angry out of instinct. Something told me I was not supposed to be wearing these clothes and be wearing the NA clothes instead. I was so insistent on it through my actions that they let me go home that day with them. No one had any idea that I was profoundly deaf at the time ('71, and they wouldn't know for another year and a half). I have always been drawn towards more basic or functional clothing and have had a bad feeling towards dressier or formal clothing, even if it does show off my figure. I could see that in the cowboy and indian TV shows that Dad watched, even if I had no idea what was being said. Something just told me, "You are supposed to dress like a NA, not a cowboy."

So today, since "Banana Republic" no longer exists, I have looked far and wide for such clothing, and the company I work for (outdoor outfitting retailer that sell the modern entourage of The North Face, Patagonia, Columbia Sportswear, Mountain Hardware, etc.) barely, just barely touched on whetting my longing for such clothing. What a tease! A lot of what we sell is quick-drying fabrics, which are made from synthetic fabrics that originate from OIL. They have a rough, cold feel to them, nothing like the soft heft of old BR clothing, which were cotton. My assistant store manager has a pair of cargo pants that are all-cotton and were sold by our store years and years ago.

Please share your experiences with shopping at BR. Where do you shop at now to find similar clothing? I have found NO PLACE that sells anything like it with one exception in the US - Tag Safari and Travel Clothing. New thread coming up, because everyone who is looking for the functional COTTON clothing needs to find out about this company. That thread is where to post up recommendations for basic safari clothing that is made of cotton.

See ya!
 
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