Banana Republic’s latest Mad Men line is causing quite a ruckus!
The widely popular show, Mad Men, originally teamed up with Banana Republic during their second season. Their marketing partnership featured Mad Men promotion in all of the North American BR stores three weeks prior to the premier of the third season. These two entities naturally were drawn to each other because BR has always been able to modernize that classic yet retro business style, which the show embodies. The collaboration has always been a big hit with shoppers, however; the latest launch is not sitting well with some
In its third season, BR launched its first clothing line with Mad Men along with the help of Janie Bryant, the show’s costume designer. The collaboration featured pieces that represented more of the early sixties, specifically 1960-1963. These styles were pre mini skirt and the opposite of bold hues. Instead they were more of the formal and classic feminine shape of the fifties; think Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy.
For BR’s third installment of the Mad Men line, there was still an early sixties style with cardigans, knee length skirts, florals and sheath dresses filling the store. Now, moving along with the shows progression in time and style, the third BR Mad Men line has launched. This time around we definitely see a jump in the era with more of a late 60’s representation. The clothing is colorfully bold, has clean lines and the hemlines are shorter. The style icon for this time capsule installment is definitely Twiggy.
One would think the third times the charm with Janie’s Bryant’s Mad Men creations for BR, but people are complaining the spokes model, Coco Rocha, is too thin. Consumers noted their animosity on BR’s Facebook page saying, “Not loving the bony girl! Have you people watched mad men? Nobody looks like that. Thanks preppy brand for once again reminding regular girls that they just are not skinny enough. Cute print though,” and “That model is too skinny!”.
People will always have something to complain about, as we all know. So the real question here is does the line embody the current fashion in the show? I would say yes. As the show progresses through each season, time goes by and so does the fashion in that era. So far BR has done an excellent job of representing the fashion in the show with each season and its joint collection. This recent collection is very mod and late sixties, just as Janie Bryant says so herself on BR’s website “The collection embodies the late ‘60’s love for graphic prints, colors and boldness.”
I can see how some consumers might be rubbed the wrong way by Coco Rocha’s very trim physique as she dons the clothing because they feel that they will not look as good or even be able to wear the clothing at all. Once you check out the clothing on BR’s site, however; you will see the company’s models in the collection and it appears as though the hemlines are longer and the cuts more forgiving than the way they appear in the ad campaign on Rocha. This makes sense since an ad campaign is supposed to catch your attention; the product is never exactly the same in reality.
I think that Janie Bryant and BR did a great job in modernizing the collection. My favorite piece from the line so far is the Mod Shirtdress. Love the burnt orange and plum hues. Which is your favorite piece?