Friday, August 21, 2009

PUT A BELT AROUND IT AND CINCH IT! According to the full-page ad on the back of the main section of today's Times, 40 years ago today, the first Gap opened in San Francisco. Even though Gap's corporate siblings, Old Navy and Banana Republic, have now taken the forefront for me (and I suspect, most of our readers), it's hard to think of another clothing chain that has more effortlessly embodied and influenced American casual style over the past few decades, even shaping our culture. For instance, take a look at their 2008 holiday ads, featuring Jon Hamm, the men of SNL, and Jason Bateman, or the minimalistic "Everybody In..." commercials from the mid-90s (leather, vests, cords), or the subsequent dancing commercials (khakis swing, khaki country, and Claire Danes and Patrick Wilson selling "boyfriend trousers"). And of course, there are the parodies--David Spade and Adam Sandler come immediately to mind. How has the Gap affected you?

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