Ambience has been key for Banana Republic’s past few presentations. The Fall runway show had editors sitting pretty on settees at the Bowery Hotel, and yesterday’s Holiday 2011 event took place at Greenwich Village swank spot The Lion. Creative director Simon Kneen (looking quite bronze from a recent vacation in Saint-Tropez) was on hand to [...]

For its Spring ‘11 collection, Banana Republic sent its girls on a desert safari, picking up the seventies-YSL vibe that’s been in the air of late. But something’s blossoming in these hot climes. Among its accessories offerings, which also included oversized statement necklaces in metallic breastplate designs, creative director Simon Kneen created blooming canvas-flower brooches—a [...]

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Mad Men returns this Sunday on AMC, and to celebrate the much-anticipated return of Don, Betty, and their martini-swilling cohorts, AMC and Banana Republic hosted a splashy Hollywood premiere last night at Mann’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. After a word from creator Matthew Weiner—no cell phones and no giving away plotlines; “I really don’t want to [...]

As the man who made Brooks Brothers cool again several years ago, Simon Kneen knows a thing or two about freshening up classic American brands. In his role as creative director for Banana Republic, he’s aiming to bridge the company’s original incarnation as a travel-themed retailer (remember when its stores used to feature Jeeps and [...]

Editors and publishers assembled in Chelsea yesterday for Simon Kneen’s debut as Banana Republic’s creative director. Kneen, who comes from Brooks Brothers and Adrienne Vittadini, worked a Mad Men vibe for the guys, from the Brylcreem-shiny hair to the ankle-exposing pants and sockless wingtips. For us gals, he fast-forwarded a decade and a half to [...]