So I'm fully aware that The Gap is having financial problems or existential problems or probably a combination of the two. My mom is an accounting professor, and over the past few years or so, she has assailed me (more than once) with threats and tales of how one of my favorite stores is struggling to keep its head above water. A quick glance at the Gap website affirms this. In the past year or so, gap.com has become a strange mix of funky little movies, ugly outfits and fashion advice from Patrick Robinson, who remains better known to me for his Go! International Line at Target and the mega cute shirt I bought from said line. Gap does seem to be playing the role of the Jan Brady of the fashion world, its expensive celebrity models and flashy video begging for just one look while the whole of our culture stares complacently at the competitors' shiny, well-loved hair.
Today, on one of my favorite websites (jezebel.com), there is a post about The Gap, and the general consensus among the readers is that it sucks. Lots of readers have commented about how they have long since left the Gap behind for the greener pastures of H&M and Forever 21. I, however, sat reading the comments, feeling left out. I still like The Gap! In fact, I have a coupon from there that I fully intend on using before it expires on Saturday. To me, The Gap is STILL the number one place for denim (I can find the Curvy kinds I like in the petite size I need), and lately, I have found some really cute dresses there as well. I am just filled with Gap love!
Today, on one of my favorite websites (jezebel.com), there is a post about The Gap, and the general consensus among the readers is that it sucks. Lots of readers have commented about how they have long since left the Gap behind for the greener pastures of H&M and Forever 21. I, however, sat reading the comments, feeling left out. I still like The Gap! In fact, I have a coupon from there that I fully intend on using before it expires on Saturday. To me, The Gap is STILL the number one place for denim (I can find the Curvy kinds I like in the petite size I need), and lately, I have found some really cute dresses there as well. I am just filled with Gap love!
My love for The Gap started when I was in the 7th grade. I'll never forget it. I had just made the giant leap from the kids department (at the time we didn't have "tween" shops like Justice or Limited II where I currently spend more money than I care to think about) to the juniors. My wardrobe was hurting. I remember having one pair of Levi's jeans that were a size 3 in an extra slim fit (it's been awhile....) that I wore with these uber heavy turtleneck tunics and Sam and Libby white leather ballet flats. I believe that the turtleneck tunics had roses embroidered on them. Anyway, my mom noticed my scant wardrobe one weekend and told me to get ready...we were going to Johnson City!!!! I remember just being so amazed; I think she was just sick of having to wash out my jeans three times a week. Growing up in southwest VA, Johnson City represented a sort of fashion mecca. It was about an hour and a half away, and it was the home of East Tennesse State University, where my mom had gotten her bachelors. To me, it was madly metropolitan. Hells bells--they even had an Olive Garden. So we packed up and drove over. I remember my mom parking near the Ruby Tuesday and telling me that we would eat there and that they kept the plates for their salad in some sort of chiller so that everything tasted fresh....I couldn't imagine anything more classy. After our Ruby Tuesday meal, we walked down the glittering hall of the Johnson City mall. On the right there was (and there still is--I bought a dress there when I was home for Christmas) a Gap. I had heard of the Gap from the beloved Seventeen, YM, and Sassy magazines I subscribed to. We went in. I remember it being like love at first sight. Everything looked so...perfect. I tried on everything. This ended up being our only stop because I was able to find so many things. I remember my favorite outfits being a pair of pallazzo pants with tiny flowers on them, paired with an olive green short sleeved sweater, a black jacket, and (gasp) a black hat, not so unlike the one Blossom wore on her regular Monday night 8:30 slots. I also managed to find a pair of low-rise jeans that broke the bank at $50 and that I paired with a white long sleeved t-shirt with a picture of San Francisco on the front (I never imagined that I would live near the city immortalized on my favorite tee!). I was in heaven.
And through the years, there have been many perfect pieces found at the Gap. I've had two denim jackets from there, and probably should be looking at buying a third. The outfit I was wearing when I first caught my husband checking out my ass was from the Gap. I got through the bulk of my college career with one wool skirt, a pair of wool pants and a few oxford shirts from the Gap. And although now it is not always my first stop fashion-wise, I always make a point to check it out.
Many argue that the Gap cannot find its target audience and that it is constantly toeing the everpresent tight rope between wanting to appeal to teenagers or their mothers. Possibly this is one reason why I find the Gap so damn appealing--because I am toeing that line myself. As a very young mom, I like things that grasp my "young maturity." Maybe this is why it works for me... Plus, it sure doesn't hurt that I can pick up stuff for my kids next door at Gap Kids. With its mix of well-made basics and cute foundations, the Gap totally fits into my current life, just as it did when I was a smart assed 7th grader.
So what are your feelings about the Gap? Do you shop there? Do you feel their look fits your life? Or is it just a remnant of the bygone past before the days of H&M and its ilk?
6 comments:
I worked at the Gap back in the late 90's in college and I remember just loving it. Even five years ago I was still buying a lot of great basics (on sale!) there including great work trousers, t-shirts, button down shirt, underwear (oh, did I love me some Gap Body for awhile) and, most of all, jeans!
I don't know if it's a combination of my style changing, maturity or the fact that the gap has seemingly moved away from many of the basics that I loved but I know spend much more of my money to buy the same types of things at Banana Republic. But I still go back for the jeans. If the Gap goes under, I will buy about 25 pairs of their Long and Lean jeans because they are the only jeans that fit and fit well.
I will say that they've changed the look of many of their stores. Gone is the bright, wide-open shopping experience to be replaced by something more akin to Abercrombie meets Goodwill. Not a pleasant shopping experience...
I still like the Gap mainly for their jeans and work pants. I got a great pair of dark-rinse boot cut jeans on sale for $30. Since I'm petite, their short length fits me perfectly. I also recently ordered a great pair of black pants for work. So I still like the gap for the basics and their prices are cheaper than places like Banana Republic or J Crew.
I adored shopping at The Gap all through college and into my 20s. I still fondly remember that some of my all time favorite wardrobe piece came from Th Gap. But something has definintely changed. . .maybe it's me, maybe it's them. It's not the shopping experience that I remember.
I agree with the look of the store s- very boring, not pleasant. No mirrors to check things out, tables too low, shelves too high, racks too crammed...
They have changed their jeans too fast and too often. Why can't they have REAL basics? Some dark denim with yellow seams a la Levis? Denim trousers every month of the year? Same cut with a lycra and rigid option?
And the blue dress you showed... do you own it? Because I tried it on, my sister tried it on and my tall slim friend tried it on and all three of us different figures all looked as though we were wearing potato sacks and had droopy boobs. :(
Quit with the crappy sweaters, the pointelle thermals that look made for children and the odd fit as of late. I swear I ADORE Gap, but I seem to find less and less that fits me each year, though my shape stays the same and my tastes haven't varied all that much. :(
gap's ok for my kids and for me. i shop from there on-line as there's no brick & mortar where i am, and while i only order basics from them: jean skirts, camisoles and tees, khakis, golf shirts (and other uniform stuff for the kids) and hoodies, i know that at least with those things there are no surprises. that's good when you're buying from 6,ooo miles away.
I also worked at Gap in my early college years and I loved it then. I still love the Gap...although they seem to have a hard time keeping my size jeans in stock. But it's still where I go for classics--khakis, jeans, tees, camis. Rarely do I buy trendy items at Gap. For my nicer clothing a head to BR as their sweaters and tops don't stretch as badly as Gap, they have better fits, and the material quality feels better overall. I do know one thing, I'd be disappointed if there was no more Gap. It's a great medium between Old Navy, H&M, Forever 21 and Banana Republic, J.Crew.
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