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Banana Republic Jeans Review (+Complete Guide)

It’s the higher end brother of GAP and portrays itself as luxurious and upscale. Gap is famous for their jeans and one might wonder as to why you would pay more for Banana Republic Jeans. This is a banana republic jeans review where we go over the fit, fabric and over all value of these jeans.

Banana Republic Jeans Review

Banana Republic currently offers 5 fits for their jeans; skinny, slim, athletic tapered, straight, and bootcut. 

Want to learn how your jeans should fit? Check out ‘How Should Men’s Jeans Fit.’

The skinny fit from Banana Republic is a great choice for thinner men who find slim fit jeans a bit too roomy. The fit features a medium rise and is skinny through the hip, thigh and leg. Compared to other brands such as Topman and Zara, each of which has a skinny fit, the BR skinny jeans are more roomy.

Buy BR Skinny Fit Jeans

This is as one store BR associate told me, ‘the most popular fit BR currently offers.’ The Slim Fit jean from Banana Republic offers more room through the hip, thigh and leg compared to the skinny fit, yet still retains a sleek silhouette. The leg opening is also tapered which means you won’t need additional tailoring. I find the BR slim fit works well for men with a slimmer build throughout their lower half. But if you have wider hips and thighs then the athletic tapered fit might work better.

Buy BR Slim Fit Jeans

Athletic Tapered Fit

A newer fit introduced by Banana Republic for men who want a slim fitting jean but with more room through the hips and thighs. This fit is great for men who work out or who want a more comfortable hip and thigh fit. The leg is still slim and the leg opening is tapered similar to the slim fit jean. The athletic slim fit offers the best of both worlds, a comfortable thigh and hip along with a slim leg.

Buy BR Athletic Fit Jeans

Straight Fit

The straight fit jean is as classic as it gets. This fit looks good on most men except for those with thinner builds. As the name suggests, the straight fit has a comfortable hip and thigh fit along with a straight leg opening. This fit is great for men who want a classic looking jean (tapered legs aren’t for everyone!) that is both comfortable and modern.

Buy BR Straight Fit Jeans

Bootcut Fit

The bootcut fit from Banana Republic is pretty much identical to the straight fit apart from a wider leg opening, hence the name bootcut. This fit is great for men who want to wear harness or cowboy boots with the jeans for a truly classic western look.

Buy BR Bootcut Jeans

Banana Republic Jean Fabrics

This is the heaviest denim option from Banana Republic. It is great for men who like thicker and heavier denim but want the comfort of stretch. The denim used comes in at 14 oz. which is considered medium weight and is great for year round wear. This isn’t 20 oz. selvedge denim, but for most men, the legacy jean will offer a great blend of comfort and durability.

Buy BR Legacy Jeans

• Sturdy medium weight denim
• Feels high quality
• Decent amount of stretch
• Good for year round wear and cooler weather
• Not as soft and light weight as the traveler jeans

The BR Traveler jean (and pants in general) are incredibly popular on forums for being insanely comfortable. The fabric is soft, stretchy and light weight which makes it great for long wear. However for men who want the rigidity of denim thisince these feel more like sweatpants than traditional denim.  associate denim with ruggedness may find the fabric and bit too thin for their liking and may even question its.

Buy BR Traveler Jeans

• Incredibly stretchy and comfortable
• Light weight so good for summer and spring
• Fabric is a bit thin so durability might be an issue
• Feel more like sweatpants than denim (this can be a pro as well)

Rapid Movement Denim

The Rapid Movement line from Banana Republic features both chinos and jeans. This line offers durable fabric that has good stretch and recovery. I am personally a big fan of the BR rapid movement chinos (Review Here), and recently tested out their Rapid movement denim and have been pleasantly surprised. The denim is falls right between the legacy and the traveler denim. It is lighter weight than the legacy but heavier than the traveler. The rapid movement denim jeans are a great option for someone who wants stretch but finds the traveler jeans a bit too light weight.

Buy BR Rapid Movement Jeans

• Medium to light weight fabric with decent stretch
• Excellent recovery
• Thinner fabric compared to the Legacy denim
• Not as stretchy or comfortable as the traveler jeans

Construction

Similar to other items from Banana Republic, the construction of BR jeans is good. These aren’t handmade jeans but for mass produced denim, it is quite decent. The jeans typically feature good quality zippers and hardware which feels durable and sturdy. The stitching on the belt loops is good. Overall, I would have to say that BR jeans are a step above other mall brands when it comes to construction. 

BR offers a great variety when it comes to their denim. For men who like a medium weight jean, the legacy can be a good fit. If you are looking for insanely comfortable and stretchy jeans, the traveler jeans are a great option. While if you want a jean that holds its shape after many wears, then the rapid movement jeans should be considered. BR jeans retail from $98 to $129. There are some selvedge versions which can cost more, but generally speaking this is the retail price. I think for this price there are other brands offering similar quality. With sales and frequent promotions (which are more or less always available), BR jeans can be discounted down to $49 which I think is a great price.

There are plenty of washes, colors and fits to choose from and with promotions, BR jeans can be a great value.

Here I am wearing a pair of Banana Republic Rapid Movement Selvedge Jeans. These were a bit more pricy than their regular rapid movement jeans owing to the fact that these are a selvedge pair.

I found the jeans to be well made with a good amount of stretch. However, for selvedge jeans, I felt the fabric was a bit thin but again, these days more brands and preferring stretch and comfort over a thick durable fabric. The dark wash on this pair is incredibly versatile and can be dressed up or down with ease. I dressed this jean up by pairing it with a dress shirt, tie and a wool top coat.

I hope you enjoyed this banana republic jeans review. Hopefully this review will help you decide which fit and fabric is best for your lifestyle. Let me know which version of their denim you prefer and your experiences with their jeans overall.

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In Review: The Banana Republic Slim Traveler Pant

October 9, 2018 By Dappered Team | | Heads up: Buying via our links results in us getting a commission, which helps keep the lights on around here. We also take your privacy rights seriously. Head here to learn more.

The Banana Republic Slim Traveler Pant – $98.50

About the Author:  Stephen Knight is a photographer / videographer who founded  Itsaknightslife . His mission is to tell the story of people through style, food, music, and dancing. Catch his stuff at itsaknightslife on  Instagram  and  Youtube .

Over the last few years there has been an increasing desire for hybrid pants that not only look good in a smart casual/business casual office, but are also comfortable enough to be dressed down and worn on the weekend. Trousers that can do it all. And during that time, the BR Slim Traveler Pant has become a go-to for many guys in terms of filling that do-it-all category. These pants have racked up over 1,000 reviews on the BR site, with an average of 4.7 stars out of 5. And that solid reputation is well deserved. Here’s why.

Available in lots of colors. Lots.

What I love about these pants are that they’re flexible enough, stylistically speaking, to work in many environments. If you work in a space that allows business casual, then you’ll fit right in. If you’re at an airport traveling, then you’ll fit right in. If you’re on that special date with that special person, then, you get the message. I opted for the olive color, which was on the more muted side, and I loved this shade. I was able to match this with a blue/white checkered shirt, along with any neutral colors that make style matching easy. The overall look of the pants seems reserved which allowed me to wear these 5-pockets (read: a regular jean style, not a more conservative/dressy style) at the office without anyone really noticing. They’re versatile. And they also quite comfortable.

The BR Slim Traveler Pant size 30 x 32 on 5’10” / 170 lbs

The first time I put these pants on, I literally said “wow” to how comfortable these pants are. I wouldn’t go so far as to say these are as comfortable as sweats, but they are definitely pants you can move in. The “specially engineered” Italian cotton they use for these pants feels amazing on the skin. They don’t feel super light nor super heavy which makes them suitable and comfortable to wear all day. And you know those afternoon naps you take after work? Yes, that is definitely possible with these pants. If you’re doing some traveling you can wear these with ease, no matter how long your flight(s) and how many connections you’ve got to make.

Shown above in the “bracken olive” 

The look and the feel of a pant doesn’t mean anything if they don’t fit the way you expect. For the most part, these pants fit very well. The fabric does sit a little closer to the skin, however they’re pretty stretchy. But if you run even slimmer, or do lots of squats, BR has you covered with both Skinny and Athletic fits (colors are limited on athletic).

Something I noticed is the inseam of the pant seemed rather long. The 30 x 32 pair I ordered fit my waist very well, I’m assuming due to the nature of the stretchiness, but the length of the pant seemed excessive, to the point where I would have to roll up the pant every wear. Now I like to roll my pants, so it was no issue for me, however if you like the length to be exact out of the box, these might pose a problem for you. However a quick tailor job will fix any issues you may have. And the feel of these pants would be worth the additional fitting.

Inseam seems to run a little long on these pants. At least for me?

In Conclusion

At $98 full retail and often excluded from BR’s codes and promos, these aren’t the cheapest pants available. But given how comfortable these are, and the ability for them to work in most situations, I believe these are well worth the price, especially if you DO get them on some sort of discount.  In today’s world where we’re constantly on the go, the introduction of super comfortable pants that can serve multiple purposes has been a huge plus to the style world. And BR’s Slim Traveler pant is a great iteration of this trend.

If you are a frequent traveler and always on the move, yet still want to look good in any situation, these pants should definitely be high on your list. Even just for all day style and comfort, you’ll have no regrets picking this pair up.