My Banana Republic Suit of Armor
My Banana Republic Suit of Armor
Every girls got one. The wardrobe essential that empowers and fortifies.
When I’m donned in anything from Banana Republic, it's like I’m wearing an extra coat of armor. I’m nowhere near an ambassador of the brand, but I am a fanatic of quality clothing that embodies empowerment.
These are my go-to staples.
The little black silk dress has a delicate button up collar that evokes the right amount of structure, whilst still being feminine and demure because of the silk fabric and A-line cut. It’s my go-to dress. When I have a “last minute” wedding and I just ate two bowls of soup, it still fits. When I want to wear flats, and appear more casual (#Iwokeuplikethis), I wear this dress. Also, as much as I love my grandmother, every time she professes in her Hungarian accent “Vhy are all de young gurls veering black? Is dis a vedding or a funeral?”, I get all lawyer-like in defense of this dress. If you don’t have a solid black dress that fits right and isn’t to "frou frou", go buy one; it’s an investment that pays itself back many times over.
My Navy T-strap Pumps. Remember how I was professing the virtues of black? Well, meet black’s fresher cousin, navy. These pumps are leather and seem to get more comfortable with each wear. Plus, the T-Strap ensure that they won’t fall off (awkward date story, think shoes and sidewalk pothole...for another time 😊.) Sometimes black-on-black can be too heavy - navy adds a pop! No, I’m not initiating a navy-shoe-black-tights trend, but as it starts to get warmer, think of mixing things up with a sporty dark colored dress and some navy pumps; you won’t go back!
Ma’ Blazer. You know how they say the clothes make the man? Well, blazers make the woman. I have yet to see a fiercer creature than a woman in a smart blazer. In case you were wondering, I have several...all in darker hues, like Black, Grey, Navy and my favorite color-
Brown. I'm so biased when it comes to Brown for several reasons: my grandfather a”h loved the color brown- rich wood, buttery dark leather, dark fur, shiny European shoes. Brown also matches my coloring. I like to contrast my (brown) hair and (brown) eyes by wearing - you guessed it - brown! The brown pieces I favor from Banana Republic are my brown A-line dress (with a rich velvet belt that I couple with a little fur cape), and my brown bookbag. It’s worn, it’s sturdy, and it's put up with me through many a college book schlepping. It’s not going anywhere.
And because every girl's got to have a Mary Poppins purse...I've got my oxblood messenger bag (it’s really maroon, but remember when the color “oxblood” was #thing?) and rose gold clutch, both demure yet functional. There is always room for keys, cards, lip-gloss...and the rest? A lady will never tell.
