Banana Republic

I have become a big fan of Banana Republic since it opened its first UK store on Regent Street; it now has 2 more - one on Long Acre, Covent Garden, and the other at the Brent Cross Shopping Centre. For me, a big fan of contemporary, well-made clothing with lots of clever detail touches, Banana Republic really fits the bill, and the best thing here is the price! You may know from other reviews that I also like Emporio Armani more than a bit, and lots of the Banana Republic output is along similar lines, slightly more conservative of course, but it does have nice detail touches - like 2-way zips, hidden pockets, multi-form garments etc. Of course most of Banana Republic is made in China, so the quality is not quite up to Armani, but its significantly lower price offsets this.

Over the last couple of years, I have bought knitwear, shirts, jackets and trousers - they all wear well and have held up pretty well on the durablity front also. The last 2 seasons have been excellent - we’ll see if Banana Republic keeps producing the kind of pieces I go for - for now though, so far so good.

Like I said, quality is pretty good and price is excellent for what you get; at this level and for what they do, they really don’t have any serious competition. This adds another stop on my shopping route through Regent Street - highly recommended.