A third on the old Banana Republic catalogs. I used to keep several on my bookshelves, because they had such a 30s jump in a jeep and have an adventure feel to them. I liked the way they presented the clothes - worn by an invisible model. So, you got to see what they looked like on a person without being distracted by a person. I loved the copy.
The Territory Ahead catalogs are a good model on the men’s/woman’s nice casual clothing. Great men’s clothing, and great women’s clothing, that seemed to come later, as they still have mostly men’s. Good enough writing, gorgeously photographed themed locations each issue. There is some gear within, though not much. Improvements: a little more info on care of the clothing (machine washable or no), and it would be nice to see the clothes on a model every now and then, not just on a hangar. Don’t just confine the gear to the men’s portion of the catalog. I’m a woman, but I love the gear, too.
The Soft Surroundings woman’s catalog always has clothes that I love, interspersed with bedding, or makeup, or suchlike. Their gimmick is a softness rating for clothing items, which is nice, especially for people with sensitive skin or whose sensuality takes them that way.
I, too, loved the old J. Peterman catalog and the old Banana Republic catalog, even though the drawings didn’t give you any worthwhile info on the fit of the clothing. But I loved the stories – if I’m teetering on the edge of a purchase, a good story will sell me. I like the J. Jill catalog because one of the models is an older woman. I’d also like to see more normal-size models, not just the scrawny ones.
I’m also annoyed when there are different colors for men’s and women’s versions of the same garment – mostly because the men’s colors are the ones I like better, but my shape is definitely female. Please tell your folk to have the same color options available for both, okay?
Heh. As a man I always like the colors available for women, since men usually get about two variations on blue.
I remember when Banana Republic had the safari feel. I enjoyed it then and I still enjoy it now. My favorite clothing catalog is J.Crew. It’s mostly because I love their clothing but they also have a very nice catalog. Very pleasing to the eye, great layout, catching colors.
I think Vineyard Vines has a great catalog. They normally have real life people, doing real life things wearing their clothes - I like that. It always tells a story and does not just have the clothes on the pages with the prices. It has a little more character.