The Gap for Spring '11. Is that a guy or a girl on the left?
You gotta love the Gap. Well, maybe not enough to buy anything for yourself, unless you are in a pinch, or in a mall while visiting your family. But for the way the Gap treats themselves like a serious fashion collection. The Gap showed their Spring ’11 looks in a bunker somewhere in London…très hip…and sure enough, WWD, Vogue and style.com were there to review it, like it was something other than the Gap. Granted, they have a great designer, Patrick Robinson. And surely, if he and a slew of assistants are putting together forty some odd looks, they will be groovy…styled to the nines. But it is still the Gap. And no matter what they do or where they go…it will still be the Gap. There is no way to properly translate that presentation, which was fiercely styled and fitted to the models’ bodies into the average store, like the one on 8th Avenue & 23rd Street. You can put all the blow ups of Alexandra Richards, and every young actor on Earth in the windows, but that look won’t walk out the door on a chubby human looking quite as fierce. I wish it did. The Gap should try doing a smaller collection with Patrick’s core updated basics and add a couple of seasonal designers for depth and layering, a la H & M or this Fast Fashion thing that Macy’s is currently concocting. What the Gap has that Macy’s doesn’t is that intimate specialty store experience, which to me is an invaluable asset. And by adding that extra layer of complimentary design aesthetics, they will automatically attract the consumers who like to mix things up. But what do I know?
You can put these girls into a potato sack and they will look amazing. And speaking of potato sacks, that blouse on the left is kind of one.
Patrick Robinson is married to Virginia Tupker at VOGUE which may explain why everyone takes themselves so seriously. The couple goes to million dollar fundraisers for Obama and all the A-list events in New York City. That's all fine but those same people can't market the basics to regular people. Designers fail when they try and design down for the regular people. GAP's problem is trying to act too high fashion while hoping the proletariat follows is happy with their crumbs. Who wants dress for this special branding? Clothes for an average middle class white person. GAP is a store for basics. Apparently the black tank top can't carry an entire stock? Oh and nice blog ;0)
Huh? What is that white outfit in the middle? Is he designing Angel costumes for halloween? Does it come with GAP Wings?
The rest? Okay, fine.
But the times I've walked into the GAP, it's just not lithe young things trying to buy the look. Why doesn't he design some outfits for that age group between 18-25 who are size 10-16? I'm really tired of seeing women go into these stores, emerge with some jersey knit shirt that clings to their every roll, then finish it off with jeans that ride up to asscrackistan and think because it's a designer, it's fashion. Ugh.
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