Spoiler alert: Patrick Schwarzenegger genuinely likes Banana Republic’s collaboration with The White Lotus, but Saxon Ratliff, his fratty alter ego from the hit HBO show, wouldn’t go near it. “I don’t think [the partnership] has anything to do with Saxon, and I’m glad that it doesn’t,” Schwarzenegger joked at a Tuesday evening fête for the just-launched collection, whose campaign he fronted.
We concur. Regardless of the circumstances, the fictional resort chain at least attempts to maintain a facade of placid elegance. Schwarzenegger’s perpetually-Croakied character? Not so much. When combined with Banana Republic’s elevated vision of all-American style, the final product is a tad more tasteful than Saxon’s typical fare. “Saxon’s clothes,” Schwarzenegger says good-naturedly—alluding to his character’s salmon-colored shorts and cobalt-hued Southern Tide tees—“I would not wear out and about.”
So if you happen to find the show’s characters (and their wardrobes) less than aspirational, you’ll be relieved to hear the collection leans far harder into the lush resort of it all, eschewing the country club-forged closets of the Ratliff men in favor of no-brainer vacation staples—plus a few delightfully unhinged shirts that, yes, even a sweat-soaked Walton Goggins might be into. (Schwarzenegger is especially partial to the linen-viscose easy pants, which somehow manage to feel both “dressy” and “loungy”.)
Check out our favorites pieces from the collaboration below, or head on over to Banana Republic to shop the assortment in its entirety.
