GAP - what are your opinions??

[Royal-Galliano]

All these wannabe cool & chic brands (sorry, I didn't know how to say) are just for loosers... they are not original at all, not so quality and... I hate their massive campaigns... just ridiculous... I prefer buy clothes from some small shops without some stupid logos to those!!! NO!

 

[someutopia]

Yes, you will very frequently find pinning on the backs of the mannequins. Also, Sleepy, you asked about returning to Banana. Absolutely bring it back. The one thing Gap Inc. is great about is customer service, they'll take back almost anything defective to please the customer. Just make sure you bring your receipt as they typically do heavy markdowns.

 

[Salvatore]

I say don't make your whole wardrobe GAP. It's good for basics if you like the cut of the stuff but everything is like a "block" and I don't like that.

 

[Kriss]

Never been to the Gap but the clothes on their online store seem rather boring, nothing I would wear.

 

[justlucky]

really, really boring. And overpriced. I'd much rather buy some nice quality pieces than hordes of ready-to-fall-apart GAP.

 

[haruki]

For simple basics I prefer A.P.C. and Agnes B (the French Gaps perhaps). Double RL, and Marc Jacobs are also good for basics. I stay away from Margiela because it reminds me so much of Gap. I do like Gap undershirts however. I think the line I like is called Gap Body.

 

[GlamorousGlue]

hmmm

i like some of their cords, thats about it...

 

[someutopia]

IMO the Gap Body line (for men) is as poorly fitted as the rest of their products. I've started wearing Calvin Klein and I feel like I've seen the light.

 

[karmapolice]

I bought a pair of the jeans that SJP was primarily endorsing. When I tried them on, I loved them, and HAD to have them. Then they never fit right and I didn't wear them for a year. Now there possibly my favourite pair of jeans. Nice colour, fit and so soft. They look better and feel better on than my desinger jeans. This somewhat creeps me out. They haven't fallen apart yet either, I really hope they don't, for I bet they 'refitted' or 'reeverythinged' their jeans about 82 times since my purchase!

Thi
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[snowqueen]

imo i dont like gap too comercial too like something my mum would ware. Whcih is why i wouldnt buy stuff from there i wouldnt want the same clothes as my mum. gap kids is cute though. I havent bought anything from gap in so many years. I mean thats not to say its not nice its just my mum shops there so go figure ......

 

[haute femme]

i think that lately, their style has been better than the past. their t-shirts used to have a very high, round neckline and cotton fabric that was short and wide (ughh short and wide shirt syndrome). i think they've found better fits lately, and i personally like their basics. i would never dress in an all-gap outfit, but they do have good jeans (dark wash straight jeans, not the very blue ones), jackets and sweaters. their cashmere is nice, too. i cannot stand their pastels and overall color choices, though, but i'm very picky about colors. i like more faded, unique and less commercial looking clothes. i know i'm the minority here, but after years of gap-bashing i've finally began to somewhat like them as a basic-clothing store.

as for the child labor exploitation, does anyone have a link to an article or somewhere with info?

 

[wooster]

wow, a lot of hate for the gap. i didn't go in there forever, because i had it in my mind that it was low quality, boring stuff cut for overweight americans. kind of what most people are saying here. but then i heard from a reputable source that the 1969 denim line was actually very high quality, so i visited to see what was up with that. and it is was high quality. assuming you like the cuts and washes (some of which were reasonably adventurous) you could find yourself some very nice jeans at a an excellent price point.

this made me take a closer look at their other stuff (mens), and imo, there are some really nice, not boring, trim-cut, inexpensive items out there. maybe as much as 25% of it is unexpectedly well-designed. 50% of it is sort of boring and basic, but still decent value, and 25% probably poor quality. but those aren't bad stats for a place that's in every mall in the u.s. and the funny thing is there is even an element of exclusivity because the gap seems to cycle through designs fairly quickly, especially those that are a bit more adventurous.

here's a few examples from the men's section on the web site:

http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=5171&pid=315760
this blazer looks much nicer in person, nice cotton, nice pattern, certainly slim-cut, well-made. insane amount of detail for this price point. the gap near me had this marked down in-store to $39.

http://www.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=5207
premium shirt line: i've not actually seen these in person, but the description sounds extremely promising. fabric seems good, lots of colors and patterns, nice details, excellent prices.

http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=6944&pid=330121&scid=330121032
okay, not a very exciting sweater, but a good, comfortable basic for $30 (on sale) that i happen to own, it has a fitted cut, and seems to be wearing well. i have another gap sweater that is a light grey, ribbed, button-up (high) mock-neck (admiral's sweater, i think it's called) that is much more interesting. and a good example of quick product turnover as it was introduced in the mid-fall, and is now out of the stores. it's distinctive, but i've yet to see someone else wearing it.

http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=5148&pid=308988
final example from the '69 denim line. no way is this boring: a wax/resin finish trouser-cut jean. amazing amount of detail, incredibly good price (and, i might add, made in macau, probably by the same source that does APC's denim).

i could come probably come up with another ten examples of really decent items. i think if you look at the gap with an open mind and a bit of descrimination, there's some nice stuff to be had.

 

[AlexN]

I went into GAP this evening with some friends. The knitwear is HORRIBLE quality with so much pilling that it looks like it's been worn for a few years already. So much awful acrylic stuff. The men's jeans made me laugh. They were SO short and wide. Soon, they'll be square-shaped. Everything looked the same, but in various incredibly ugly colors. Some things looked acceptably constructed (for GAP, at least), and a lot of things made obvious the fact that they were made by a little kid. The menswear is cut so big and shapeless; there's no way I could find something there that'd fit me properly.

 

[djflame]

Good basics. I buy plain simple sweaters from there, and cargo shorts for summer.

Their 1969 jeans are decent, but I found the occasional steal. I saw some Gap Black-overdyed selvage in London once and they look a lot like Edwin. also the resin covered jeans with the bias biding on the inseam was very reminiscent of APC english. I had to get those at $25.

other than that, don't really touch any thing else.

 

[LoveMyBoots]

I really liked this peacoat they had... but it sold out... And it was like $20 bucks on their website... unfortunately I have Safari and can't seem to view it.

I truly feel for GAP, they used to be quite popular. Nowadays people around here still go, but their quality and designs have weaken. This collection is prob. their worst, there are corduroy peacoats that look hidious and overpriced. I do love their jeans, though. For a small petite girl like me they fit suprisely well. However, I only started wearing their jeans for like six months. I bought a pair the other day and they fit perfectly length wise... and had the prefered material and a slight tapered bottom (which I ). They reminded me of Levi's though... .

The bottom line: I like GAP when their collection or pieces fit my style and body, since this isn't happening and isn't happening for the rest of America, their standing is floundering. (Sadly, I don't think how they make their clothes effect their sales.)

 

[wooster]

well, it's weird to be defending the gap, it's not like i own stock in the company or care much if it stays or goes. i guess i found in myself that i was avoiding the place maybe based on some elitism, and when i looked at what they were doing with an open eye, i felt there was interesting stuff (here and there) given their pricing constraints.

i actually own very little from the gap, but (as a relatively skinny 6'2" guy) i find their mediums (at least what i've tried on) to be no more boxy (less so, really) then stuff from APC, Marc Jacobs, or other designers targeting a more democratic-type fit. i mean obviously they're not trying to be rick owens or dior homme or something; they're not trying to make a statement.

i've looked at content labels, and haven't seen anything 100% acrylic (not that there's anything wrong with acrylic if it works in the item). what i've noticed is that they tend to mix a fair amount of nylon (say 20%) with the natural fibers which i think might be a short cut to shape retention with somewhat inferior grade materials. like i notice they use recycled wool in their trousers rather than new wool. okay, so it's not heirloom quality, and you won't be passing it down to your grandchildren, but it's $30, and it's going to last for a couple of season, so what's wrong with that. if the hand feel, design details, and quality of a sweater are important enough to you to go out and spend $400, then there you go. i could get t-shirts at the gap for $10, but prefer american apparel at $20 because the quality of the cotton is important enough to me.

and yes, there are some total misses at the gap. this jacket:
http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=9001&pid=352847
(at least i think this is the one i saw in person) was an attempt at a simple urban look but comes off as a rumpled mess (imo). in theory it's an interesting nylon/cotton mix, but the fabric wrinkles too easily and has a weird drape. but they tried...they could have just gone with something easy like polyester, or even 100% nylon. they were clearly trying to incorporate a soft hand feel into the look.

my point in all this is really only to give some respect to the gap design team which i do think is trying to do some good work here and there within the constraint of their market niche. seems a pity just to dismiss it all out of hand.

a question i have is whether the gap's lack of success might be, in part, due to the fact that they're trying to do something semi-interesting, that a lot of their stuff is not cut for people looking for a super loose, "american" fit. i think the gap is squeezed between their other two corporate divisions. The old navy is a big success offering super cheap basics to people who want a lot of extra room in their clothes and aren't worried much about design, while BR targets those with a few extra bucks who do want a bit of design. so what is the gap's niche then? is there enough space between the aesthetic of old navy and BR to carry a store in every mall? especially given that this niche already has big slices carved away by abercrombie, american eagle, and a host of other players.

 

[beautifulboi]

I have no problem with the gap,they make basics that you can "dress up" with clothes from other designers.I think the problem is that a lot your expectations might be too high and there is nothing wrong with having high expectations ,but kids its the gap not Chanel couture.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

For simple basics I prefer A.P.C. and Agnes B (the French Gaps perhaps). Double RL, and Marc Jacobs are also good for basics. I stay away from Margiela because it reminds me so much of Gap. I do like Gap undershirts however. I think the line I like is called Gap Body.

Agnes B and A.P.C. are definately not in the same league as GAP, but I know what you mean. Just because something is basic doesn't mean it has to be sh*tty.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

I have no problem with the gap,they make basics that you can "dress up" with clothes from other designers.I think the problem is that a lot your expectations might be too high and there is nothing wrong with having high expectations ,but kids its the gap not Chanel couture.

I have nothing against cheap clothes, but really the GAP clothing is just atrocious. Unless you are humpty dumpty the menswear fits horribly. Their colors are always the same muted pseudo prep colors and the designs are the same every season. I would rather shop at H&M where the clothes are at least a little more interesting and better fitting.

 

[justlooking]

I agree with *LoveMyBoots*: when i found a comfortable pair of jeans that i could bumb around in i bought them. cheap and comfortable/suits figure= sold

i don't go out of my way to check out the store but if i'm there, why not.