FASHI ❑

BY SUZANNE CHESSLER

T

he fall lines for men and women
at Banana Republic this season are
all about luxurious, textural fabrics.
And for this beautiful trend, we
have, in part, Merritt Shwedel

to thank.
In a search that can take her from Turkey to
India to France to Thailand, the New York pro-
duction director for Banana Republic, who grew
up in Bloomfield Hills, finds the fabrics and
manufacturers for all of the designs for the Gap
Inc.-owned company.

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A Michigan native offers a peek
at Banana Republic's fall runway.

Above: ""Fall is a lot about layering and playing with volume," says Merritt Shwedel (right), production director for Banana Republic. For women,

there's a return to a slimmer leg shape and more voluminous tops, but full skirts are still important, especially paired with shorter jackets. There's

also a move toward a stronger graphic sensibility, reinforced by the neutral cast of colors — black, grey, navy and khaki. Also, instead of applied

embellishment, you'll see a lot more of texture within the fabric, from tweeds to eyelet-type embroideries." Opposite page: "For men, layering is

key, as are lush fabrics and refined basics," adds Shwedel. "Banana's collection is fairly influenced by an English countryside sensibility, with

lots of tweeds and corduroy, but done in a very modern way — for example, paired with denim and cut slim."

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SEPTEMBER 2006 • JNPLATINUM

"It's amazing to have the opportunity to trav-
el," says Shwedel, 31. "But I have to admit, when
I'm in the back of a minivan for three hours or on
some ferry boat heading to a modern factoi-y, it's
not glamorous. But there are also times when I'm
shopping in Paris — and doing it for work — and
that is pretty cool."
When Shwedel was a student at Bloomfield
Hills Cranbrook and Congregation Shaarey
Zedek, she did not anticipate a fashion career.
As soon as she earned her bachelor's degree
in French and international relations at Tufts
University in Boston, Shwedel, the daughter of
Dorie and Marvin Shwedel, headed straight to
New York City. "I knew I wanted to live there
because of the energy of the city, but I didn't
know exactly what my career path would be," she
explains. "I love books and literature, so I started
working in publishing."
She soon realized it wasn't the fit she was
seeking. "During high school, I had worked in
retail and learned to sew and weave," she says,
and so when the opportunity arose for an appren-
ticeship at J. Crew, she gave it a try. "Being there
taught me how patterns are made — and how
life is given to two-dimensional designs," says
Shwedel, who realized she liked being a part of
the process that created that life. Knowing that
knowledge of management and financial analysis
would be a boon to her burgeoning career, she
earned a master's degree in business administra-
tion at New York University.
After advancing to J. Crew assignments that
involved overseeing the technical design team
and monitoring overseas vendors and manufac-

