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It's been a little under a year since we first saw Marissa Webb's take on Banana Republic. Webb designs a namesake line of her own and spent a decade with J.Crew before that, so her appointment to BR was exciting; the promise of a mall brand getting a makeover from someone who's done a darn good job with mass retail before (she was surely incentivized by the investment Gap Inc. made in her own line as part of the Banana deal).
With three collection presentations down, and pieces in stores now, we're finally starting to get a feel for what Banana Republic looks like under the influence of Webb. She's brought a welcome blast of color to the brand, infusing hot orange and pink hues, deeply saturated blues, and pale aqua. What's emerging as our favorite pieces aren't the modernized shirtdresses or bright suiting separates — which are lovely, if familiar — but the shoes. For spring 2016 there are pretty lace-up heels in metallic gold, sandals with fringed fronts in a deep sand color, and tapestry-print loafers to get excited for. A number of styles look like they're seasonal updates of existing silhouettes, which sell at around $100 for flats and $118 — $148 for heels. See them up close in our gallery above, plus a look at the bags (also good!) and the head-to-toe looks.