Ventilated T-Shirt

Sold in the Summer 1984 Catalogue, this Ventilated T-Shirt is a very rare find in this condition, it’s one of the earliest pieces in my collection. Ventilated T-Shirt with a different item # were sold in later Summer catalogs, but because of the presence of the Diamond Tag this shirt is very likely the 1984 version.

From the summer 1984 catalogue: “To citizens of many nations, an undershirt might not seem strictly necessary in the tropics. But a proper British soldier would as soon go without his trousers. And so, during the years of empire building, ventilated cotton was pressed into service. This amazing fabric, with hundreds of tiny air chambers woven right into it, keeps the wearer warm in winter, cool in summer. It made very cool t-shirts, meant in those days to be seen only by sahib’s nearest and dearest. We rediscovered it as a perfect outershirt for today’s traveling men and women.”

Summer 1984 Ventilated T-Shirt displayed with the summer 1984 Platonic Shirt and the Summer 1983 Market Bag.

From the Summer 1985 catalogue, Ventilated Shirt #1605. This would probably have a Stars and Bananas tag instead of a Diamond Tag.

About The Author

Robyn Adams
Robyn's fascination with Banana Republic began in 1984 when her Alaskan adventurer father began buying the clothing and giving her the catalogs. She loved the clothes and as an artist she was drawn to the illustrations. She went on to study illustration at art college in BR's hometown of San Francisco and worked for years as a background artist for animation. She is now based in Oakland, CA as a graphic designer and illustrator with Secret Fan Base . She's been collecting and archiving at Abandoned Republic since 2011.

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