Hooded Bush Vest

The Hooded Bush Vest was a real workhorse for Banana Republic. The design was first introduced in 1982, pre-Gap purchase and ran until 1988 and then beyond into the post-Safari era. Today they are ubiquitous and plentiful as they were big sellers for men and women at $39. Image from the Holiday 1982 catalogue.

There are three versions of this hooded bush vest, distinguished by the material and the size of the map pocket. Early poly/cotton blend twill vests (Item #3323 through Spring 1985) had a full size pocket across the back, large enough to carry a road atlas (made in Korea). There was a transitional piece (made in Taiwan) of a large back pocket in pre-washed 100% cotton (Item #3332-Summer-Holiday 1985) Later pre-washed 100% cotton versions (Item #3331 Spring 1986 and beyond) have a smaller pocket on the lower back that is big enough for a folded map. They were made in Taiwan (presumably first, same as large map pocket version), Hong Kong, Sri Lanka (most common?) and China. See tags at end of this post.

Khaki is the most common followed by Olive, Ivory and Blue.  Examples of this vest have been found in a rusty red color that was not advertised in the catalog.

From the 1982 catalogue: “A walking desk with a drawer for everything. A good bush vest is an excuse for its pockets, and this one is just that. Back pockets, front pockets, side pockets, bellows pockets, hidden pockets, eight in all. Deep, long, compact, room pockets. Khaki twill cotton blend with shirt tail sides, hood rolled in collar. A vest for spontaneous people who like to carry around not just what they need, but also what they might need.”

The Hooded Bush Vest was a popular item for customizing with logos and patches. It was used as a Banana Republic employee uniform for Guide Vests. Below is an example of a crew vest for the 1984 movie Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.

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