From the Arab Spring Fashion Collection

 

By the time I post this, Moammar Gadhafi may be among the ranks of the unemployed, if not the unliving.  Despite the dramatic events in Libya, this picture of rebels advancing on Tripoli struck me as rather familiar: It looks like a shot from a Banana Republic ad campaign.  

Our Striped Pique Polo Shirts keep the rebel on the go feeling cool and comfortable -- and the horizontal stripes are slimming, just in case dodging rockets has kept you from the gym.

Our Relaxed Fit Cargo Pants have roomy pockets that can carry extra ammunition for a firefight, or your digital camera to capture the good times on your own Road Trip to Tripoli!

A Swiss Military Classic Watch can take whatever punishment Gadhafi's goons can dish out.  What time is it?  It's time for regime change!  Spring Break Libya-style! 

Banana Republic 2011 Spring Collection

My imagination here is not far off the mark from some fashion ads I have seen.  They seem to follow advice similar to that offered by a blog about fashion photography:  "Location, location, location! Getting the right location is important if you want to convey a narrative within your shot.  For example if the clothing and beauty styling are edgy, hard or provocative you may want to consider an urban setting , alternatively for spring/summer and natural fashions find a rural environment like; a field, meadow, beach, woodland or river bank."

Fashion photographers, such as those for Banana Republic, often place their subjects in settings that contrast interestingly with the clothing being worn by their beautiful models.  Apparently the incongruity of the backdrop with the clothing draws the reader's eye and can excite the imagination.  The settings also can make the clothing seem more interesting, suggesting an intriguing though often cryptic narrative -- look at the amazing lives of people who wear clothes like this!  

Banana Republic 2010 Holiday Collection

My rugged four-by-four will take me wherever my Milan  platform peep-toes won't!

Hey, babe, look at this firewood I chopped myself in these Clarks Desert Boots!  Sorry about stepping on your windshield wiper!   

(What does Banana Republic have about people standing on their vehicles?)

On the one hand, these ridiculous fashion images -- unrealistically beautiful people in "real" situations -- prepare us for images such as the one from Libya, images of real people in extraordinary situations.  And yet an image like this from Libya also show us how ridiculous the ad campaigns are.  How adventurous would these anorexic hipsters be when the gunships move in?