There's a good article in the New York Times today about the Gap, "Critical Shopper: A Currency as Sound as a Slim-Fit Shirt". It's mostly favorable, even with funny comments like "It leaves the bland taste of the 1990s in my mouth." (referring to the store). But that's spot on. I think most of us think of the Gap that way. So it was smart of them to hire a cool new designer to start to chip away at that perception. It has been done - - think about Coach bags... they used to all look the same (more or less), and they were so BORING, now look at them!
Anyway, Gap is showing a lot of their "denim and tweed" look right now.
I like this Tweed Hacking Jacket, $98. Herringbone weave in pure wool and an adjustable back belt to customize the fit.
And these low rise Organic cotton boot cut jeans, $69.50. Wow, that's an amazing price for 100% organic cotton! Supposedly, they've updated their boot cut "kept the flattering features, gave it some more sexy". Sounds good, not sure what exactly that means!
Also, this Studded Leather Clutch looks surprisingly cool for the Gap. ($98) Full grain leather in a foldover style with studded detailing on the flap.
I also like their "European Collection" concept, although I don't find all of the designs to be terribly "European" in aesthetic. I do wish them luck! It's great to have low priced options for decent quality and stylish items. Hopefully Patrick will be for Gap what Mickey Drexler was for J Crew.
There was another good article in the Times back on Aug. 20th about the release of the Fall collection and the challenges of reinventing the brand.
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