We tried Gap's new collection. These are the hits and misses

Telegraph

08-04-2025

When Anne Hathaway wore a floor-skimming white shirt dress to a Bulgari event last year, it had an almost internet-breaking effect. Not only because the actor proved the surprising red-carpet appeal of cotton poplin, but because her dress was from Gap. It was custom-designed by New York designer Zac Posen, who became the brand's creative director in 2024.
When a version of the piece later became available to buy from Gap for £120, it swiftly sold out. Now, it's back (in beige and navy polka-dot as well as white) as part of Posen's first collection for the newly launched GapStudio, which also features denim pieces, khaki tailoring and a new take on the brand's ubiquitous logo sweatshirt. The collection is intended as an elevated take on Gap classics, but it's also a bid to restore some style credit to the erstwhile fashion favourite.
It can be easy to forget quite how cool Gap was in its heyday. The first store opened in San Francisco in 1969, and the brand arrived in the UK in 1987. By the Nineties, it had achieved front-page appeal; for US Vogue's 100th anniversary cover in 1992, supermodels including Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer wore Gap shirts and jeans. In 1996, Sharon Stone wore a Gap T-shirt (paired with a Valentino skirt and Armani tuxedo dress worn as a jacket) to the Oscars. Influential advert campaigns starred everyone from a young Scarlett Johansson in 2001 to Sarah Jessica Parker at the height of her Carrie Bradshaw powers in 2004.
But before long it faded to something decidedly blander. By 2011, it was used as a hallmark of sartorial indifference in the romcom Crazy Stupid Love, in which Ryan Gosling's character memorably tells his protégé Steve Carell to 'be better than the Gap'. In 2021, plummeting sales exacerbated by the pandemic led to the closure of all 81 of its stores in the UK and Ireland, a victim that followed the likes of Warehouse, Oasis and Topshop (which also teased a comeback earlier this year).
Since then, Gap has already had a renaissance of sorts. It re-entered the British high street in 2022, and can now be found at 'shop-in-shops' and concessions within selected Next stores, as well as on gap.co.uk. As well as Hathaway's moment, A-listers including Demi Moore, Cynthia Erivo and Timothée Chalamet have worn Gap on the red carpet recently. But can Posen's new collection cement it as cool once again? Acting deputy fashion director Tamara Abraham and I got our hands on a few hero pieces from the collection to find out.
Hit
The GapStudio Poplin Maxi Shirt Dress, £120
From the pieces we tried, a clear winner for both of us was the Poplin Maxi Shirt Dress, £120. It feels floaty and sunshine-ready, with flattering pleats on either side of the bust and waist. The beige version I tried immediately struck me as a throw-on-and-go piece, which would be just as good in the office with flats as by the sea with sandals (a girl can dream). Tamara tried the white version, which looked great but is very see-through; to get around this, she kept her trousers on underneath, in a surprisingly wearable take on a tricky trend.
Poplin maxi shirt dress, £120, GAP
Miss
The GapStudio Sailor Trousers, £120
I then tried the khaki version of a pair of Sailor Trousers, £120, which also come in a mid-wash blue denim. They have a pleasing thickness that makes them feel high-quality and a high-waist that, to me, feels flattering. They're a touch too wide, however, and a little too on the nose of the nautical theme, billowing violently in the April breeze. Another thing to note is that the trousers come up long – I'm 5ft 10in and they were just right, but they would have been too long on Tamara who is 5ft 4in. Across the board, the sizing (we both tried UK size 10s) was also generous.
High rise twill sailor pants, £120, GAP
Miss
The GapStudio Cropped Shirt, £70
Finally, Tamara tried the Cropped Shirt, £70, which comes in both white and white-and-blue stripes. We both liked the look of the latter when it dropped on The Telegraph fashion desk, but on reflection it feels like it misses the mark. Tamara didn't find it flattering, commenting that unless you've got abs you want to expose, the hem blurs into whatever trousers or skirt you're wearing with it. And in any case, it's unclear where exactly would be the right setting for the waist-exposing style.
Cropped shirt, £70, GAP
Perhaps Gap is trying to appeal to the Gen-Z customer, who have less experience of the brand than those of us who wore it the first time around. But doesn't Posen realise they've swapped the immoderately buttoned 'office siren' look for Steve Jobs-inspired office uniforms now anyway? Some of the pieces feel fresh and high-quality, but too many - a puff-ball mini skirt and polka-dot halterneck bralette as well as the cropped shirt - are trying to appeal to younger generations who likely won't be bothered.
'I love the idea of a Gap comeback,' says stylist Anna Berkeley, who believes renewed success lies in its ability to establish a covetable signature. 'It's simple: brands need to ask the customer what they need and listen to what women really want. It's a tough market if you're doing basics and denim – the ready-to-wear market is so saturated.'
For now, it's hard to see what the signature will be once the Hathaway hype has passed. Admittedly, there are some items we didn't get to try that I'd be interested to see in real life, including the denim version of the wide-leg trousers and a silky slip-style dress that comes in various colours, including a pretty champagne hue. While we can't yet speak for those, we can confirm that Posen's shirt dress is deserving of the considerable cool credit it has attracted.