Emo + Chinos?

I'm not going to lie: it surprised me to see Chris Carrabba (nee of Dashboard Confessional and many an acoustic ballad of heartbreak) pushing Banana Republic's Spring clothing line.

I guess this should be no less shocking to me than M.I.A. pimping for Marc Jacobs or Cat Power shilling for Chanel, but I was still taken aback. I won't label Carrabba a sell out, especially since that term has long since lost any meaning in the realm of music and commerce. I mean, Bob Dylan was trying to sell us Victoria's Secret bras a couple years ago, for the love of all that is good and cotton. It's just a little amusing to me when an especially earnest musician like Carrabba (or Dylan) throws themselves into the marketing machine.

A couple other artists who would love for you to purchase apparel, handbags, and shoes from Banana Republic are Sara "Not gonna write you a love song...'til you nab me that belted cardigan" Bareilles and Liz "Exit in Blouseville" Phair.

Check out the BR campaign here.

* Other titles in consideration for this blog post included "Screaming Monogrammed-Ties", and "The Blazers You Have Come To Fear the Most".