Quality at the Gap?

[Anonymous]

How's the quality at the Gap these days? Last time I bought from them must've been as a teenager around 2004, so I've no idea what they've been up to since. Now I looked the brand back up, curious about their Black Friday Sales. But their rating on facebook is only 38% based on reviews. Have they gone completely downhill and is basically a waste of money, or is it good enough?

[Anonymous]

Denim is still great.

A couple years ago, I set aside a day to find a really great pair of jeans at Tysons. It was exhausting and I didn't find anything. Then I walked by Gap on my way to the garage and realized I hadn't given them a try.

I found my jeans - girlfriend jeans. I've bee so happy with them I have picked up four pairs over time. They relax really quickly after washing, which I really like.

[Anonymous]

Some of it is really good, but it varies (as does sizing). If you can go in person I think that helps a lot.

[Anonymous]

I still buy stuff at the gap primarily pajamas and workout gear because I don’t really like the way their denim fits but if you look at the reviews most of the recent -ones are because they changed the return policy. You have to return items within 30 days and they don’t give any exceptions which is perfectly reasonable, but people are pissed off because it used to be 45 to 60 days depending on when you bought it.

As for quality, most doors quality has gone down over the years. You can’t expect to keep items in your closet for more than five years so if you’re fine with that, I don’t see anything wrong with the quality.

[Anonymous]

I think its gotten better. I got a couple of shirts this fall and they are nice fabric and have washed well.

[Anonymous]

I like it. The thin merino wool sweaters are great and a good value, imo. The “cashsoft” sweaters are a genuine abomination they should pay people to wear. So just try some stuff and see what you think.

[Anonymous]

The women's denim in-store seems to be a higher quality than online. Twice I've ordered online the exact same items as I'd purchased in the store and both times the items were much thinner and cheaper. I don't get it. Mens denim seems consistent.

Agree w/PP re: the thin merino wool sweaters. Great for DC winters and thin enough to layer as needed.

[Anonymous]

The quality of the fabrics is excellent for the low prices, OP. Gap is actually a standout in that regard.

It's the cut that suffers. You'll notice Gap usually does boxy stuff, because that way it's cheaper to do. And some linings that should be there for certain clothes are not there, but that's par for the course for that tier of brands.

[Anonymous]

I don't know who it's for. It's very boxy, but not especially young looking. FWIW I went in to look at some corduroy pants and the fabric was very thin and cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know who it's for. It's very boxy, but not especially young looking. FWIW I went in to look at some corduroy pants and the fabric was very thin and cheap.

I'm PP above. Good to know. I bought a bunch of their sweatpants and T-shirts there last year, for myself and DD, and the cotton quality it great.

[Anonymous]

There are certain staples I like from the gap. In particular, the modern T shirts and denim/ denim, including dresses and jackets. I also like their kids clothing.

We’ll see what impact Zac Posen has on quality and style.

[Anonymous]

I just got a $50 denim jacket in a collaboration they did with Doen. I’m impressed with it.

[Anonymous]

I feel well qualified to comment on this since I have two packages ready to ship back to gap with all my returns.

I bought a vintage cropped hoodie. Pros: great, modern Gen Z fit, lovely color. But, it was made so cheaply--very thin, flimsy fabric, no pockets, and they used black thread to stitch on the logo label inside the hoodie, so there were little black threads visible on the outside of the hoodie (!!). For 60 bucks, the quality was just not there. Also the color/design felt very late 90s Victoria Secret sweatshirt.

I bought modern crew and v neck t-shirts. The fit of the t-shirts varied WILDLY from color to color and neckline. Literally looked like a completely different shirt.

I bought a vintage indigo dyed t-shirt. the hem was weirdly uneven and the fit across the chest/shoulders was weirdly baggy. It was truly unflattering.

The Vintage 100% cotton short sleeve t shirts I bought last summer are also really poorly fitted and developed holes almost instantly.

The shiny satin button down shirts looked like something from 2002-era Express, catering to the non-college-educated admin assistant who wants a shirt she can wear to work and the club.

Anyway I was disappointed by both the quality and the fit of most of the garments. However, I was recently in Target and was completely shocked by how crappy the quality was. Gap, by comparison, was slightly nicer quality. Uniqlo is also slipping into crappiness.

It feels like all the traditional mall stores are trying to compete with the cheap online retailers, instead of providing consumers with actual quality fabrics and good fits. So dumb, because what sets companies like Gap apart is the perception that you are buying some quality basics.

Also the designs look like someone put a bunch of late 90s/early 2000s clothing catalogs into the AI machine and hit "reproduce, but make it 70% crappier" and that's what we have to buy.

[Anonymous]

I still love Gap denim - comfortable, good fit, look and fit the same after years.

My DS likes their pants, which seem to wear and wash well.

[Anonymous]

I’ve had consistently great luck with their denim. Their shoes are also really comfortable and great dupes when I want to try a trend for less money.