I like the new clothes at BR, but I really hope they don't lose sight of their customers. Some of us liked the traditional pieces- only because you can wear them anytime, any season. I hope they don't fall into the same trend that the GAP fell into a while ago when they were too trendy and their stock fell because buyers were staying away. I won't, I love BR (!), but just saying....

Oh thank god! i thought BR would never get out of their conservative work clothes rut!! and get real, Gap lost business because they missed the denim boat in the late 90's and then continued to play it too safe with the designs and just be plain wrong on the color forecasting. The Gap has only gotten back on board with fashion in the last 24 months. so wb GAP, wb BR!

Very Stella McCartney! I like it...

Cute, but as a corporate attorney in a large law firm, there are less and less places to shop for things that are cute but also appropriate in a conservative work environment! Banana has been my go-to place for clothes, but I would never be able to wear most of this to work...

I love this collection. An even bigger incentive to keep shopping at BR.

Dear BR,
As a stock holder - all I can say is, "Don't do it". How the heck do you expect me to wear this to work? Where am I to find non-trashy work clothes? Please do not join Bebe or Arden in there quest to tramp-up the office.

Please reconsider.
XOXO
E

I like hte third and fourth dress but the first model's legs are painfully thin. Hope it is natural and not an eating disorder

i really like this, the fabrics look
very smooth, and fresh colors, may
take a look on this one.

I like it too, except I have the same sentiment as some above that it seems a little trendy.

And yes, the model on the far left's legs are quite thin! She is practically a skeleton.

Model on the left is like half the size of the other models - eww! I love the dress on the far right, but I totally agree, none of this is work appropriate!

Love, Love, Love. I was their just this weekend and I got a few thing. This is one of my favorite stores.

I adore these new clothes. Banana Republic has been looking dated for a while so it's nice to see it's taking a new direction. It worked for Nine West when they took a new direction away from their old dated styles.

All this stuf is cute, but BR has lost their collective minds with some of the pricing! I'm not going to pay that much for glorfied Gap clothing no matter how pretty!

Hmm. I like that the collection is more fashion forward, but BR's main clientele is people shopping for work clothes. Of the pictures, only the trenches fit the bill. (Is that blue suit made of denim?) A lot of those clothes actually look quite difficult to wear.

These are very impractical for the office. I agree BR needed a change (although safe interview suits are always easy to find there), but I'm a little confused with this direction. Hopefully they'll still have stylish yet work appropriate items in their spring line.

I really like the new direction BR is taking. I'm sure they will definitely keep their wardrobe classic staples in there but it's nice to see something a little different and modern.

I love it.

I've always liked BR for work clothes, but these are pieces that I'd wear all the time.

Hmm ... BR's always looked a little 'old' for my taste; I can't really run around campus and go to class wearing little silk blouses and tailored pants everyday. However, I agree with the other comments that their main clientele has been career women, not trendy young twenty-somethings - and if I WAS one of those women, I'd definitely buy their clothes. So while I'm looking forward to the change(though I'll wait to see the clothes in person before judging), I hope they continue to churn out the feminine-yet-professional clothes that have been their bread-and-butter, and that I know I'll want and need in a few years.

I work in a casual office, and I mean really really casual, and I wouldn't even wear most of this to work. Their core market is the 20s and 30s young professionals, no? Great clothes, but dumb move from a business standpoint. And why is all spring fashion so void of color?

I don't think this is the total new direction for the company. Seems they just wanted to spice it up a little to appeal to a broader audience- not to alienate their current working audience.

Thank god, I stopped shopping at BR because I felt they were a bit dated. I am glad they are going in a bit of different direction but I am sure they won't upset their current clientele.

BR definitely needed an update. I love these looks.
I am excited!

i like the looks but i hope they continue with their current style also. when i need conservative pieces for work i shop at BR for most of it. i would love to add these items to my wardrobe but i hope it's not at the expense that i will not have items to wear to work meetings.

I think they will keep their traditional style as well since that's what they're known for but they probably want to reach a new demographic.

OR Get their current customers to shop their not only for work clothes but for other things as well [say you have a picnic/party/etc. to go too and you want to look chic but comfortable, this would work] so they keep their main followers at their store.

Like someone said, they left because it was too dated but now, they'll check it out again and people who go their for the business look will also get what they want. Win-win. However, if they do end up ditching what they're known for, they'll probably go the route of Dickies. Ended up becoming 'mainstream' and almost lost their core market.

And about the actual outfits, lol, I like it, they're really cute, especially the second outfit.

oh my godness... look at that left model..

Hmm, these clothes are cute and all, but I've come to depend on BR for office appropriate clothing. If they go completely in this direction I will be very disappointed.

This stuff look great! BR has always had great clothes, but I don't think I've ever been so excited about the past pieces as I am about the future

I like everything BR does, and this new look is fresh and fun and totally fab...

Oh my gosh! I love it all! Finally some fab corporate attire. I work at a law firm too and I would looove to wear all these pieces to work.
LOVE.

To whoever said BR's stuff looks "too old" for students on campus: I suppose you aren't planning to intern, do interviews, or be involved on campus (ie student goverment, Journals, etc)? I bought my first suit my sophmore year. There is nothing "old" about being taken seriously.

Many people work in professional environmentsstarting in their early twenties and you are supposed to look, well, conservative, tailored, and professional. "In a few years" when you are "old" you will be happy to find midrange staples, such as a fitted button down shirt.

i work p/t at BR and i like this collection! i doubt the company is going to abandon traditional work apparel - i think it is smart that they are diversifying.

First reaction: So BR's look is Beige?

I love me some BR, they're a solid store to go to for business clothes. I tend to dress preppy anyhow, so it works for me. This stuff is really pretty, but it does stray from their usual shopper's aesthetic. I hope it pays off, that mint green ensemble is particularly a favorite.

i think that it's a different direction for the brand, but i wonder if it's going too far away from something that they were so good at. there were MANY times when i'd pop into BR to find something to wear for work, for an interview or just for a meeting and now i feel like these looks are nice but not necessarily work appropriate.

I spend most of my clothing budget (and that's A LOT) at Banana Republic. NONE of these clothes look like they will be an appropriate fit for my small yet (YES I HAVE CURVES) athletic hourglass figure. I am a SIZE 2 and sometimes 0 at Banana and my legs look thicker than the entire bodies of these models. I am all for modern shapes, and some more "fun" pieces mixed in with the classic and work appropriate shapes I've come to expect and love at Banana. I hope these models are 6'2" and those pieces will not be that short on us regular girls. I cannot get away with wearing skirts that short to work! I know a few people might like it if I did but I think the boss would disagree. How are these blah colors so "modern?" Are shades of oatmeal not just as "boring" as classic "buttoned-up" attire? I am not putting on a shiny oatmeal-colored sack to wear to work, sorry! (The shape-conscious dresses I would go for, but also, not for work!)

i think it's a great step in the right direction. BR has a timelessly classic look and it's great they're moving on to what i think is classically chic...yes ladies?

I think Keen & BR have found the right mix of trendy traditional...change is good.

I highly doubt BR would be crazy enough to completely abandon their core. They must know who their main customer is and what they shop for. But I think it's a GREAT idea for them to ADD some updated styles to their line. When you go into one of their flagship stores, you realize how broad their line really is. Just because they add some freshness to their line doesn't mean they are going to get rid of their "bread and butter".
And I think this update was desperately needed. I used to work in a corporate office and would shop at BR all the time, but now I work in a creative environment and have stopped shopping there entirely. This collection makes me want to go back and take another look at what else they have!