Update: In the original posting, I suggested Banana Republic had changed its name to BR. It has not. Corrected April 26 @ 8:55 a.m. Everybody talks about it. Many brands claim it, but the precise ...

And now, at long last, Banana Republic—long the most bland and forgettable of the mall-brand bunch—has joined the fray of seriously stylish nationwide chains. Or, sort of, anyway.

One in particular stands out: Banana Republic. “Banana republic” was originally coined by the American author O. Henry in a 1904 novel to describe a fictional nation that was poor and ...

By Jordyn Holman Reporting from Banana Republic’s corporate headquarters in San Francisco Inside Banana Republic’s design studio in San Francisco, Sandra Stangl, the company’s chief ...