tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post4713107474602792478..comments2024-03-15T07:36:42.852-04:00Comments on Maxminimus: Banana Republic Summer 1985ADGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612897500610475937noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-47118734033613955612013-01-09T12:40:50.806-05:002013-01-09T12:40:50.806-05:00Hello there. Has anyone heard the Steve Goodman so...Hello there. Has anyone heard the Steve Goodman song Banana Republic? Jimmy Buffett recorded a version perhaps that song a beautiful melody ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-28196869499605657672012-08-23T09:49:00.379-04:002012-08-23T09:49:00.379-04:00Great read. I miss those early catalogs and animal...Great read. I miss those early catalogs and animal-themed t-shirts!CALVIN LAIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11917348615048788326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-72781235479826172642011-08-25T20:18:06.582-04:002011-08-25T20:18:06.582-04:00I loved these reading these growing up and traveli...I loved these reading these growing up and traveling along with the clothes! Those trousers were the original Traveling Pants!MySkinConcierge Avahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05605809584695420352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-40562532829991361632011-06-03T10:40:35.805-04:002011-06-03T10:40:35.805-04:00http://scottcadams.com/bananarepublic/?p=367
ADG-...http://scottcadams.com/bananarepublic/?p=367<br /><br />ADG--I just posted an interview with BR's first catalog staff artist. Lots of rare early catalog stuff and behind the scenes information. A fun read.<br /><br />Anonymous----I would love to talk with yu about your time working in a BR store! Please get in touch if you like!Scott Adamshttp://scottcadams.com/bananarepublic/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-7445314904418471102011-05-25T22:32:55.899-04:002011-05-25T22:32:55.899-04:00Well done, ADG. So nice to know that you & yo...Well done, ADG. So nice to know that you & your peeps have fond memories of BR. I was a manager for them from the summer of 85 until the fall of 86. An unmitigated, living hell. Exponential growth, inconsistent direction from corporate (Zieglers v Fishers) and a vile district manager who redefined the word shrew every day she drew breath.<br /><br />Glad to know the misery of the players wasn't apparent to the audience. That is as it should be. We were nothing if not resilient.<br /><br />On the plus side, I loved my Irish linen pullover!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-27308628558245367192011-05-20T09:05:51.119-04:002011-05-20T09:05:51.119-04:00A thousand thank you's for this post. Made my...A thousand thank you's for this post. Made my day. I wish I had held onto those old catalogues. Think I'll head on over to ebay and take a look.njglennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09124253280764047200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-68911085452140705502011-05-18T23:25:55.823-04:002011-05-18T23:25:55.823-04:00OK, way late, but Colonel Bubbies is still in Galv...OK, way late, but Colonel Bubbies is still in Galveston. I'd say it's still 50% real army surplus from around the world, but some of the stuff looks suspiciously and lately "made in China" to me.yoga teacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05551998007150554947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-50644028702853426912011-05-18T09:20:15.086-04:002011-05-18T09:20:15.086-04:00Anon...I've never been to Galveston so I can&#...Anon...I've never been to Galveston so I can't provide an update on Colonel Bubbies.<br /><br />CeceliaMcMuffin...yeah...I'd say you've probably nailed the rationale and genesis of the whole BR thang. It would be cool if the Zieglers would write a book about it.ADGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16612897500610475937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-39364299412119602612011-05-17T18:28:55.011-04:002011-05-17T18:28:55.011-04:00Was the popularity of BR in the eighties because i...Was the popularity of BR in the eighties because it was a self-made world-traveled counter to the Reagan-era preppy American provincial? <br /><br />Sorta of the cool 60's/70's counter-culture and political idealism grown into a cooler worldly relevance (but still bougie enough to keep you from being mistaken for blue collar).CeceliaMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16017255006204800193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-86730439118587317762011-05-17T12:49:49.835-04:002011-05-17T12:49:49.835-04:00You my good man have just displayed what I have no...You my good man have just displayed what I have not been able to visualize in my self and why I see things the way I do... Its Banana Republic.<br /> (OBTW, I think someone called my adopted hometown a no-name city... we are used to it).<br />I originally hail from a place that is culturally "outdoorsy" but I refused to go granola. we, none of us, had WASPY roots or East Coast cultural attachements or easthetics. I was lost.<br />Enter BR.<br />purported class without as much pretention. A nod to utilitarian needs while wanting to look good.<br />Alas, by the time my wallet caught up with my desires... BR had changed. (head hangs low in nostalgic sadness)Brohammashttp://www.brohammas.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-67847946256213081132011-05-16T23:32:18.331-04:002011-05-16T23:32:18.331-04:00I used to love the old rotting canvas smell and bi...I used to love the old rotting canvas smell and big band music and the old jeeps in the middle of the store.<br /><br /> Sorry it became yuppy-wear. Sorrier still that my GAP stock went in the toilet and has stayed there.<br /><br />Oh well. Is Colonel Bubbie's still in Galveston?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-62501347557329676332011-05-16T18:47:03.946-04:002011-05-16T18:47:03.946-04:00megoscott...thanks. Three catalogues made their wa...megoscott...thanks. Three catalogues made their way to me and it's been a treat reminiscing with them. I just checked out your site and I think it's brilliant. I'll highlight it in a post later this week and please....continue populating it. The site will become epic.ADGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16612897500610475937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-14161581648092380632011-05-16T17:42:38.042-04:002011-05-16T17:42:38.042-04:00What a fantastic post, I really enjoyed it, especi...What a fantastic post, I really enjoyed it, especially the anecdotes from the early days. Why they don't write a book I can't imagine. I also can't believe your post came up just now, I've been working just this week on a web archive of my Banana Republic Catalog collection. Please check it out at http://www.scottcadams.com/bananarepublic The Well Dressed Time Traveller....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-51826476011408734492011-05-16T07:30:06.015-04:002011-05-16T07:30:06.015-04:00Toad...I vaguely recall it but never visited one. ...Toad...I vaguely recall it but never visited one. Are the catalogues packed with illustrative stories?<br /><br />AnonTootieWheresmaPaunts...I forgot to mention in my response to LagunaTrad that I too, remember Huntington. And your OCBD Popover reminds me of a couple of things. One is blog post worthy so thanks for the reminder. I worked after school in an old haberdashery that had been in the same spot since 1927. It was so small that the possibility of finding mass volumes of old stock was impossible. I know because I was the guy who had to Windex and Pledge the whole joint top to bottom. So I'd already looked in every box under every counter. Until one day. I opened a box and found, in my size, a Gant bleeding madras pop-over from the 1960's. Incredible find....especially since I didn't know what a pop-over was! Damn, I think I just did a blog post. And the second thing...ties should NEVER be worn with a pop-over. The only thing worse would be trying to wear a tie with a knit shirt.ADGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16612897500610475937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-5745614133825393182011-05-16T00:14:33.064-04:002011-05-16T00:14:33.064-04:00Do you remember when they had the travel book stor...Do you remember when they had the travel book store? Their book store catalogs are still my first go to when planning an exotic vacation. Don't forget the 1/2 jeeps staring out the windows of the stores.Toadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17320342028348619490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-31692891523573809002011-05-15T22:48:57.776-04:002011-05-15T22:48:57.776-04:00I have to agree with Laguna Beach about Huntington...I have to agree with Laguna Beach about Huntington. I still have some of their furnishings, but I bought my clothing from them in the pre-expansion size range. They were 3 button when 3 button wasn't cool, which may explain why they are no more. Their best item was the "Uncle Tootie" OCBD- in a pop-over, short sleeved model. It may not be the greatest dress shirt, but it rocks as a summer casual unit. <br /><br />Peterman sometimes gets a bad rap, but sometimes they may deserve it. You can't get much fuzzier than their golden age Pinstripe Velvet suit separates, but I could live the rest of my life without a collarless Grandpa- Gatsby shirt. <br /><br />In honor of your redneck cousin who keeps making up names, you can just call me<br />Guy de WheresmepauntsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-11794505917109424012011-05-15T20:16:48.346-04:002011-05-15T20:16:48.346-04:00LagunaTradMon...your point about people in the Col...LagunaTradMon...your point about people in the Colonies not wearing all the romantic gear so attributed to them is the very reason I don't wear cowboy boots in Texas-Oklahoma etc. Your question re roll the dice on a sartorial investment all-in is compelling. I'll have to think about it.ADGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16612897500610475937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-51549682841278402922011-05-15T20:11:21.877-04:002011-05-15T20:11:21.877-04:00Thanks all. It always amazes me to see how some of...Thanks all. It always amazes me to see how some of these stories resonate and some…not so much. I had a Banana Republic bomber jacket that I wore for years. I still have my Gurkha shorts from the early 1980’s. And yes, J. Peterman did pick up the story telling wrap-around to product offerings but he crashed and burned amidst expansion a decade ago. And what’s back is an attenuated, back to basics, catalogue. <br /><br />LimeGreen…I remember the faux palm trees and the jeep in the BR on the UES in Gotham.<br /><br />LPC...I named the town of my scorched earth antics (Philly) and not to flog a dead horse but…the scorching wasn’t my fault. I was awash in various cravings and caught in the tentacles of circumstance.<br /><br />Megtown...sounds like a stunning rig.<br /><br />Hugo Gros deVentre…Authentic Heritage Tapeworm? Divorce did it for me.<br /><br />T-Bone...I doubt I’ll do a J. Peterman post. I’ve never found their stuff very inspiring and I don’t really have a connection to them.<br /><br />Sb Pine Bluff…loving the single sentence duo-references…seems like all them twill treatments wouldn’t go down too well out there!<br /><br />Anon…Lawrence Corner…the surplus stuff I got had Vietnam kaka all over it. Also re flogging schmutters…the BR stuff was decent for the money so the inevitable schmutter-esque-ness peri expansion was, at least to me, balanced by a fair price. Unlike the absurd rip-off shit that goes down now under the banner of vintage/heritage/artisanal with an insulting price point. <br /><br />Claire M. Johnson...I think it was the writing…the Ziegler journalistic juju that made it all special.<br /><br />NCJack...You ain’t grown now bossman. And that same guy is flying somewhere and doing the same thing on even a larger scale. I might ask him to bring me back a wife from one of those places.<br /><br />James….these are the good old days. Right now. At least our young’uns will claim them to be someday.ADGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16612897500610475937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-31494751270782650102011-05-15T20:09:06.932-04:002011-05-15T20:09:06.932-04:00I well remember the days just before they sold to ...I well remember the days just before they sold to The Gap. A bit too tourist-y for my tastes. I mean, in Africa only tourists wear that khaki crap, then and now.<br /><br />For an occasional dose of Safari Style (1920s-1930s era) I have only to watch 'Out of Africa'. Much cheaper. And more elegant.<br /><br />As far as Lost Brands go I miss Huntington Clothiers much more than I do BR 1.0.<br /><br />ADG, if you had a sartorial business idea in mind and decided to spend every penny you had on an initial order, what item would it be?Laguna Beach Fogeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08027025872132699493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-26992519145873438752011-05-15T18:10:43.124-04:002011-05-15T18:10:43.124-04:00Happy days indeed.Happy days indeed.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15005152935241167959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-54124055344543047962011-05-15T16:10:25.696-04:002011-05-15T16:10:25.696-04:00I was already "grown" (sorta) when BR ca...I was already "grown" (sorta) when BR came to the East Coast, so didn't actually buy much, but I do recall the disappointments when I'd stick my head in the door and see (and smell) less solid old surplus, and more generic inexpensive cotton stuff. I think at one time BR, Gap, American Eagle, Am. Outfitter, and about ten other mall stores all used the same one buyer. One ticket to Indonesia, and "gimme 50000 doz. of that that, and that, Thanx, bye-bye" and home the same day.NCJacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-6810856857443946342011-05-15T15:19:57.391-04:002011-05-15T15:19:57.391-04:00As many people have pointed out, J. Peterman picke...As many people have pointed out, J. Peterman picked up that baton to a certain extent. I was a poor college student during BR's heyday, but I would go into the original store in S.F. and drool over what I couldn't possibly afford. Among retailers at the time it was unique because it not only sold clothes, but the scent of adventure as well. I don't think Travelsmith quite conveys the same sense of wondering if your passport is current because there are places to go, which BR ALWAYS did the second your foot crossed the threshold.Claire M. Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01714407719530073304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-15895384551744191972011-05-15T14:13:49.320-04:002011-05-15T14:13:49.320-04:00Great post. As a young kid in the 70s, I can remem...Great post. As a young kid in the 70s, I can remember seeing original Gurka Trousers in old army surplus shops like Lawrence Corner(long gone,now). They would have been stained, smelly and left over from Suez or Aden. <br /><br />Ofcourse, the drawing and the highly aspirational copy, creates the romance and appeal of the product. Ordinary photos and plain prose wouldn't have been sexy. Was the old BR stuff well made or did they get with floging schmutters? <br /><br />Keep up the fight ADGAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-28329260942546106712011-05-15T14:07:39.032-04:002011-05-15T14:07:39.032-04:00Good Lord, and i thought i was the only one who re...Good Lord, and i thought i was the only one who recalled BR's origins, back when the merchandise was honest-to-God (two references to the Almighty on a single sabbath, and in a single sentence) overseas military surplus, top quality (at least what i bought), durable as hell and, to my thinking, devilishly stylish (two satanic references in the same sentence for balance, in deference to Chris Hitchens). My fondest purchase was billed as a Swedish army officer's shirt, tan twill, with red, blue and gold (as i recall) ribbon stripes from collarband to the edges of its (short) sleeves. Thanx for the walk down memory lane. sb, lr.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8818519199109196200.post-30483804473197463622011-05-15T13:03:03.586-04:002011-05-15T13:03:03.586-04:00I still have my Israeli Paratrooper briefcase purc...I still have my Israeli Paratrooper briefcase purchased from the catalogue back in 1980-something that I used in high school...still has the Mill Valley tag inside and has only suffered one small rip on the back. Thanks for this entry, D.<br /><br />J. Peterman next?Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00757489375302816047noreply@blogger.com