Banana Republic’s Spring 2023 March campaign drop takes us to Taos, New Mexico, with photographer Richard Phibbs [IG] bringing his deep understanding of humanity, nature and ancestral roots to the campaign.

A currently incomplete model list includes Ella Eckerson, Louise de Chevigny, and Maria Borges. We will fill out the rest over the weekend, with other pieces of this Banana Republic Spring 2023 campaign. / Hair by Moiz Alladina; makeup by Leanne Hirsh

Thank goodness I check everything before opening my mouth, especially to offer up constructive commentary. These images are incomplete of the March 2023 Banana Republic drop and the total campaign is much broader in soul and spirit than what we see here.

Additionally, a much larger group of images expanding the Taos landing for Banana Republic circulated a month ago. They aren’t posted in the usual go-to media sources or even in Banana Republic media itself. I found them backtracking on Banana Republic’s IG.

Please note that AOC does not come from the “shoot, ready, aim” school. We only found them because I was about to lovingly criticize Banana for omissions they haven’t actually made. I double — even triple check — myself before speaking.

Personally, I feel that Banana Republic is back on the right track, and I don’t want them to mess up. And a part of me was wondering how Phibbs could go to Taos and not have adobe buildings or any shots connected to Georgia O’Keeffe in the imagery. How about an indigenous model or two?

The photographer did all of the above in the Banana Republic Spring 2023 campaign. But it’s a compliment to Richard Phibbs that I refused to believe that this sequence of images constituted the campaign.

They’re lovely but also a very incomplete story for him. Not for 80-90% of the photographers I can name, but not Phibbs. What matters to me also matters to him. ~ Anne

I was quite shaken up yesterday to read that DNA from North America is now dated as far back as 11,000 years. This is where science separates from the Bible.

Many of the culture wars battles we are having are rooted in an actual history of human life and civilizations that’s very different from the much younger Christian nationalist vision of the world and how white men Christians are the saviors of the planet.

Richard intuitively understands all these realities and uses his gift to be an elegant truthteller, but always with a subtle bit of grit. Phibbs is just not superficial in his approach to imagery.

We will sort through the rest of the campaign over the weekend. ~ Anne