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Banana Republic Mad Men items and other items

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Elaine

There was a lot of excitement and buzz over the new Banana Republic Mad Men Collection.  I generally have fit issues at Banana Republic and have to shop the petite section but still I find most of the Banana Republic items I have are from the US Factory stores.

I was excited to hear there would be some petite pieces available for the collection but when I went online I was disappointed that on the Canadian site there were only 2 dresses in petites.

The Begonia Print Dress came in the blue combo print in petite sizes:
BR Bergonia Print Dress 00P

The Lace Dress came in petites in the cream:
BR Lace Dress
Both were very pretty but the lace one didn’t really appeal to me.  I don’t think the cut of the top of the dress caught my eye so I ordered the Begonia print dress and here’s what it looked like on me:
IMG_3887
00P
The fit wasn’t TERRIBLE but I just don’t think the dress is flattering.
The waist actually fit well, but it hit quite high.
IMG_3888
Approximate measurements: waist 13in, length from shoulder 35.5in, length from waist 21in, hips 17in

IMG_3889
For me I think the hip measurement is just too big.  I felt that the dress fell funny and the drape just wasn’t flattering.
I do like the details on the dress though, there is pretty asymmetrical pleating you can see by zooming in on the website picture and the dress seems really well made.  I also like the bust line, sometimes on regular size clothing the bust comes down too low on me.

Next up from the Mad Men Collection was the lace shell.  I fell in love with the look of this one but I didn’t have high hopes since it didn’t come in petites.

BR Lace Top XS

IMG_3890
Size XS (don’t mind that skirt – will talk about that after)
Overall boxy fit on me.

IMG_3891
The worst is the side view – borderline indecent in my opinion!

IMG_3892

And the unflattering back.
The waist measured approximately 15.5 in and the part that hit my hips measured about 17 in.  The length from the shoulder was about 20.1 in.
So, sad to say I’m rather disappointed and these pieces will definitely be going back.  Here’s a couple of other  items I picked up:
BR Striped Box pleat skirt 0P
Striped Box Pleated Skirt (Petite)

IMG_3893
0P (00P already sold out)
IMG_3899
way too big 🙁

Next I got a Chambray Shirt:
BR Chambray Button Up XSP
Chambray Button Up (petite)

IMG_3902
XSP

I little messy untucked but I wanted to show the fit.

IMG_3905
Still baggy

IMG_3904
Back view, not terrible

IMG_3908
Looks much better tucked, but I’m still unsure about it.  What are your thoughts?

I also saw that there are shoes online now! I have never tried Banana Republic Shoes so I thought I would give these a try.
Kamea pep-toe pump black 7
Kamea peep-toe black

IMG_3920
Size 7

IMG_3921

IMG_3924

IMG_3925

IMG_3926
Overall I liked these shoes.  The fit seemed decent and true to size but my right foot felt tight and my left foot was slipping a bit.  I’m pretty picky with shoes now, the HAVE to be comfortable I’m not willing to compromise anymore.  I might walk around the house in these for a bit and see how they feel, but the peep toes themselves hurt my toes, so I have a feeling I will be returning these as well.

I got all these items for 25% whatever price was listed on the website.  The only item I *might* keep is the Chambray shirt, but I would love your thoughts on it.  I actually re-ordered it at 40% off along with a couple other things, so essentially this whole order will likely be going back.

Did you pick up any pieces from the Mad Men Collection or Banana Republic in general?

***Don’t forget – if you’re Canadian you can enter to win a September Glymm Box!  
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19 thoughts on “Banana Republic Mad Men items and other items”

  1. Lisa says:
    September 9, 2011 at 10:11 pm

    Hi! I ordered the begonia dress in blue online as well and am also dissaponted in the fit. I’m glad that I’m not the only one who is having issues with fit in this dress. If you read the BR website (for the states) there are a lot of luke warm reviews about fit in this collection…too bad.
    Luckily I have a friend who is a seamstress and she’s taking it in for me and tailoring it.

    Reply
  2. Jen says:
    August 22, 2011 at 8:34 pm

    Been so busy, I finally had time to get to your blog! Thank you thank you for your badge support on our giveaway. Back to the post:

    Banana republic. . . unfortunately I would never recommend anyone of your size buying from them and personally know they have had problems with their fit for last 5 years. Working in the industry, they’ve struggled with their merchandising and fit and now their average fit size is a 8 which is a big 8 and then size down.

    Your best bet is Ann Taylor, Loft petite. . . your soo tiny, I’m sure it’s hard.

    Thanks for sharing, love that you showed every piece and how it fit 🙂

    Reply
  3. Kathy says:
    August 22, 2011 at 9:45 am

    OMG! love those peeptoe shoes!! if i didn’t have square, fred flintstone feet, i would totally get a pair

    Reply
  4. Bravoe Runway says:
    August 22, 2011 at 9:29 am

    i really like the skirt but that is waay too big and I am not sure if it would be worth taking it in only because summer is almost over! I like the shirt but it is slightly on the larger end and the shoes…forget it. I’ve learned my lesson the hard way of buying kind of comfortable but not really shoes and I wear them once and they just sit there. I used to love BR and now I can’t say my feelings are the same anymore about that store. Not just the designs but also the styles.

    Reply
  5. Canadianpetite says:
    August 22, 2011 at 2:08 am

    The chambray shirt looks promising but looks like the armholes are a bit big (could be closer to your pits than your bust?). The shoes look good too but why suffer, right?

    Reply
  6. 20 York Street says:
    August 22, 2011 at 2:04 am

    Have I tried the new BR Mad Men Collection? Absolutely! =)

    Did I get anything? I won’t tell ya, it’s a secret! ha ha!

    I can tell you though that I like that Begonia blue combo dress a lot – it looked fantastic on Ashelle!

    I have the lace shell in gold and black, love them!

    Too bad the fits aren’t that great but you look great yourself hun!

    xox

    Reply
  7. el.vi. says:
    August 21, 2011 at 8:45 pm

    I used to fit in BR petites…but lately I have notice that their petites are not really for people who are 5 feet. 🙁

    Reply
  8. SewPetiteGal says:
    August 21, 2011 at 6:32 pm

    Hmm, I think I would return everything. The chambray shirt looks the best but since it wasn’t on super discount, I think I would wait for something that fits better. I’m really disappointed with the dress. The skirt flare just looks too stiff to be flattering? Boo 🙁

    Reply
  9. Cee says:
    August 21, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    I like how the chambray shirt looked when you wore it with a high-waisted pencil skirt. If you’re going to wear it with more casual clothes, I would say return and keep your eyes out for a better fitting one. I agree with your thoughts on the other items.

    Nothing caught my eye from the Mad Men collection, so I didn’t try anything on. I’ve been feeling/gravitating towards more younger styles, ie: A&F/Hollister again for some reason, lol.

    Reply
  10. TaraMixandMatch says:
    August 21, 2011 at 7:46 am

    I still don’t understand why there weren’t more petite offerings in this collection…that stinks that nothing really worked out for you!

    Reply
  11. Elaine A (TOBeautyReviews) says:
    August 20, 2011 at 8:27 pm

    @PetiteAsianGirl Just tweeted you! How strange that on the Canadian site there is no XXSP, only XSP! (and not sold out either). Wonder why they don’t have the same sizing on the Canadian site.

    Reply
  12. Elaine A (TOBeautyReviews) says:
    August 20, 2011 at 8:26 pm

    @questforfashionsense.com Yeah the dress just doesn’t feel right now on me, and I think all the comments are leaning towards return on the chambray shirt 😉

    Reply
  13. PetiteAsianGirl says:
    August 20, 2011 at 8:13 pm

    That sucks that nothing here worked out! Curious why you didn’t order xxsp in the chambray shirt, or was it sold out? The chest looks like it fits, but the other areas look big.

    I’m surprised BR offered certain mad men items in petites in the US but not in Canada. The lace shell is available here starting in XXSP.

    Reply
  14. newpetite says:
    August 20, 2011 at 6:16 pm

    not a fan of the mad men collection. I Like the chambray shirt but not too impressed with it. Looks better tucked in but then you will always have to tuck it in n make sure it is not bunched up!

    Reply
  15. Callandra says:
    August 20, 2011 at 3:43 pm

    So glad you posted these pictures! I wouldn’t keep the chambray shirt unless I had it slimmed down a bit. It does look messy untucked and the more versatile an item is the more likely I am to keep it.

    Reply
  16. Style Journey says:
    August 20, 2011 at 2:56 pm

    You are not the first person I have seen less than impressed with this collection. The shoes are pretty cute, as well as your chambray top. I think a lot of the pieces in the Mad Men collection can be “recreated” from pieces that are cheaper, and probably in a lot of our closets already.

    Heather

    Reply
  17. Make Mommy Chic says:
    August 20, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    Hi, thanks so much for the post. I got excited when I saw the post title! I’ve been hearing so much about this mad men collection but haven’t checked it out for myself. The begonia print dress is very pretty on you, however, if you’re not sure of the fit maybe a tailor could help? If you’re unsure of the chambray shirt then i say return it. They really are a dime a dozen so i’m sure that you could pick one up that you love! Thanks so much for the post 🙂

    Reply
  18. Cher says:
    August 20, 2011 at 10:40 am

    Aw, that sucks that most of it didn’t work out! I’m not really a fan of the chambray shirt (but I’m really picky about them). I think you can do better. The shoes are nice, but I know what you mean about fit and BR shoes aren’t exactly known for their comfort.

    Reply
  19. questforfashionsense.com says:
    August 20, 2011 at 10:11 am

    I liked the begonia print dress on you, but if you don’t feel great in it, then yeah, it should be returned. The chambray shirt looks like it fit you well tucked in, but too loose when untucked. If you’re okay with wearing it tucked in all the time, it can work…but do you love it? If not, I’d say return.

    Reply

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