Gap x A.P.C. Is Here — I Tried (And Mostly Liked) It
We’ve been on Gap-collaboration watch since Gap x Doên, and the latest one is with A.P.C. As you might expect with an A.P.C. collection, there’s some denim, including jeans made from premium Japanese denim and a new version of Gap’s Icon Denim Jacket. There’s a total of 37 pieces — both women’s and men’s styles, including corduroy pants and wool-blend parkas — and today, the collaboration is officially live. Ahead of the launch, I tried a few pieces and actually messaged my editor when they arrived, noting they felt “expensive on first impression.” Below is my full review. (I’m about five-two and wearing a medium and 30, for reference.)
Here’s all the Gap x A.P.C. I tried
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This is gorpcore at its finest. I couldn’t stop thinking while wearing it, Is this what wearing a Barbour in the Cotswolds feels like? It makes me believe I could survive the great outdoors — of an L.L.Bean catalogue. Not only because of the thick and heavy fabric, which I imagine would be protective against the elements, but the solid construction — from the snap buttons on the epaulets to the bungee-cord drawstring waistband. Had I any kind of survivalist instinct, I would keep a Swiss Army knife in one of the four huge pockets, but an iPhone, ChapStick, and AirPods fit too. You could have the collar buttoned up to the top in imitation of Lily-Rose Depp, or have it down and open to give your neck fresh air. It would be even warmer layered over a cashmere sweater. If there’s a single thing I’d willingly buy from the collaboration, it’s this. It’s as functional as any “utility jacket” — and I’ll get a lot of use out of it.
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The Lined Icon Denim Jacket is the perfect marriage of the Gap and A.P.C. (and not just for the A.P.C. Gap jeans buttons). It approximates something vintage with the classic medium-blue wash and the fit, which I’d describe as more shrunken than, say, a Levi’s Trucker Jacket. It fit me — but only unbuttoned. To be fair, I don’t think I’ve ever worn a denim jacket buttoned in my life. If you’re someone who does, I’d recommend sizing up one size. I wish I could’ve tried the large for comparison’s sake, but I’m fine with the medium. That’s my main gripe. Otherwise, the quality is there in the Lined Icon Denim Jacket. You can tell by the stitching around the buttonholes and the feel of the rigid 100 percent cotton. And it’s lined with a printed twill that has compasslike icons and is faded like a bandanna you found in a thrift bin. It’s the reliable denim jacket you want to have.
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The $118 Gap x A.P.C. Low-Rise ’90s Loose Jean is more than the regular $90 Low-Rise ’90s Loose Jean, but considering A.P.C. women’s jeans start at $340, it’s not a bad deal at all. You’re getting a nonstretch, 100 percent regenerative-cotton pair of jeans (Gap’s jeans-fabric composition will generally be something like 99 percent cotton with 1 percent spandex or elastane). I’m not entirely convinced they did anything for me, though. With the ten-inch rise and full-length inseam of 29.5 inches, they don’t hit me in the right places — if only they were at least three inches shorter and a half-inch lower. I’m missing the “loose” hips and thighs that were promised. It may just be that the Low-Rise ’90s Loose Jean is not for me.
Other Gap x A.P.C I’d try …
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Look down — and you’ve got yourself an outfit.
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Quite collegiate, in a “Secret History” kind of way.
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