Last night Banana Republic opened its 18,000-square foot prototype store in New York's SoHo. Guests including ELLE's Joe Zee and Robbie Myers, Vogue's Meredith Melling Burke, and Vanity Fair's Alexis Bryan Morgan walked through the gigantic two-level store, which has been divided into smaller boutiques based on occasion (city weekend, evening out) and category (accessories, vintage). Down the street, the former men's Banana Republic store is turing into a Gap.
Denim turned up all over the runways for spring 2010—in head-to-toe destroyed Depression Era looks at Ralph Lauren, luxe logo embroidered jackets and skirts at Louis Vuitton, frayed patchwork body con dresses at Hervé Léger, lingerie style bustiers at Jean Paul Gaultier, and matching his and hers trousers at Chanel. See all the images in the gallery below.
When the first five looks hit the runway at the Banana Republic fashion show yesterday—a denim trench, chambray shirts, and distressed jeans—it looked like Creative Director and EVP of Design, Simon Kneen, was headed back to Great Depression much like Ralph Lauren did for spring. Instead the denim looks gave way to Banana Republic staples including cropped peacoats, ruffle trim tanks, cotton cardigans, and wrinkled linen dresses.
For women there were great leather moto jackets in white and cognac, classic khaki trench coats and easy, colorful day dresses. As for accessories, the season's obsession with the clog continues. Models rocked what might be one of the best (and most affordable) styles we've seen thus far—gray and tan leather slingbacks with an open toe.
The men were casual yet cool in straw fedoras, navy blazers, suede boat shoes and drawstring pants. Overall, the show offered exactly what we love to see at Banana Republic—comfortable classics with a subtle nod to the season's most important trends.
There's nothing better to brighten a wardrobe or liven up an outfit than a solid colored cardigan--As far as we're concerned, this piece of advice never goes out of style. Keep a few pop colors in your closet and you'll see how anything--from a worn-in vintage t-shirt, to a black and white striped tunic, can be seen in a different light. If you feel like your outfit is too safe, this never fails as the finishing touch that can make all the difference. Find a style you like and, by all means, stock up in every color.
Is it just us or is the Banana Republic Spring 2009 collection as chic (if not more so) than some of the Spring 09 collections we saw in the tents this year? The gliding silks, the rolled up sleeves, the jumpsuits, the color palette of mint, ice blue, nude, and white--it's all too much to handle! As Simon Kneen first full collection for for the brand, we are now prepared to belive that Banana Republic will be the chicest new style destination in the contemporary price bracket. Which makes us wonder if Kneen has been at the helm since January (even if this is his first full collection) have they been achieving this level of chic for months now? We've just been distracted by their sale section (which is so unsightly!) or the fact that the closest one to us is on Broadway which is the Bermuda Triangle of tourist shopping. As a penance, we will be making a stop at their store this weekend...if Spring is this fantastic there must be something to tide us over from the Fall collection.
Women's Wear Daily has a preview of Banana Republic's Spring 2009 collection showing tonight at Cedar Lake. The collection is the first full line designed by Simon Kneen and according to WWD and he’s been busy modernizing silhouettes, upgrading fabrics and refining the customer experience in stores, including testing new services. If this preview is any indication we are going to love tonight's collection which will staying true to the brand's iconic color palette of khaki, gray, and whites has integrated a host of "California hues" that evoke David Hockney's pool blues, Wayne Thiebauld's pastel pastry paintings, and of course Elizabeth Peyton's jewel tone colors. Banana Republic is the global sponsor of the artist’s first survey, “Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton,” at the New Museum in Manhattan.
Our new favorite street style photographer, Garance Dore, captured this equestrian-inspired look, and we thought it called for a shopping spread. A black hat, wool blazer, colorful scarf, and black t-shirt are pieces that, if you don't own already, you probably won't regret investing in. In fact, putting them all together might be your only task. If you should need to fill in some gaps, our picks above.
Banana Republic, the Global Lead Sponsor of the New Museum’s presentation and tour of Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton, is helping fashion lovers explore their artistic side with a limited edition eco-tote that includes the Book Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton.
Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton is a career retrospective of the celebrated painter whose idealized and stylized portraits are a unique commentary on popular culture and its relationship to celebrity. Her romanticism has drawn criticism throughout her career, as has comparisons to David Hockney and Andy Warhol, and yet in a culture of increasingly panoptic reality her warm interpretative inspiration gives both viewer and subject a chance to see beyond traditional portraiture and the limitations of quotidian paparazzi imagery
The exhibition and catalogue documents the artist’s entire career to date and includes samples from her own personal archive of source imagery (magazine clippings, historical paintings and unpublished snapshots) along with detailed commentaries on the individual works.
Phaidon’s catalogue features more than 200 images and three essays, presented in a unique design befitting the artist’s subject matter, taking the form of a record or CD case with a detached spine and the book’s details inscribed on the inside cover like liner notes.
An ideal gift, the tote will be available for purchase in select Banana Republic stores nationwide on November 6 for $100.
When the first five looks hit the runway at the 
Is it just us or is the Banana Republic Spring 2009 collection as chic (if not more so) than some of the Spring 09 collections we saw in the tents this year? The gliding silks, the rolled up sleeves, the jumpsuits, the color palette of mint, ice blue, nude, and white--it's all too much to handle! As Simon Kneen first full collection for for the brand, we are now prepared to belive that Banana Republic will be the chicest new style destination in the contemporary price bracket. Which makes us wonder if Kneen has been at the helm since January (even if this is his first full collection) have they been achieving this level of chic for months now? We've just been distracted by their sale section (which is so unsightly!) or the fact that the closest one to us is on Broadway which is the Bermuda Triangle of tourist shopping. As a penance, we will be making a stop at their store this weekend...if Spring is this fantastic there must be something to tide us over from the Fall collection.
Phaidon’s catalogue features more than 200 images and three essays, presented in a unique design befitting the artist’s subject matter, taking the form of a record or CD case with a detached spine and the book’s details inscribed on the inside cover like liner notes.
Lee
Nine West
Tory Burch
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