GAP Review for Men

You may have heard of a little brand called GAP. They’re absolutely massive and have a huge variety of clothes—but are their clothes any good?

We picked up some seasonal staples from the GAP to see if they’re still worth shopping with.Toward the end of summer, I start acting irrationally. It’s still 90 degrees outside, but I insist on wearing my long sleeve shirts and jackets. 

After months of hot weather, I get so tired of t-shirts that I’ll sweat through a dozen sweaters if I have to. And then the weather finally breaks. Sweet relief. 

This year, when that first breeze of autumn air carried through, I popped over to my local mall to get a watch battery replaced. While there, I came across a familiar friend: GAP. They had some cool looking styles in the window, and after a bit of shopping, I came out with a few outfits. 

GAP is a classic, but are their clothes any good? Come on in and find out. 

GAP was founded in San Francisco, 1969, and originally sold only Levis jeans and LPs. 

I wasn’t alive in ‘69, so I can only assume there were constantly flocks of hippies hanging around. Anyway, the hippies loved the initial GAP store so much, the brand started to make their own jeans.

Over the subsequent five years, GAP exploded with popularity to the point of opening over 25 stores across the United States. 

You may have been wearing GAP your entire life. I distinctly remember a polo shirt with golf clubs on it that I wore just about every day of third grade. That was a GAP piece. And I’m still rocking them today. 

GAP’s staple is still jeans, and their aesthetic remains simple, fit-focused, with minimal branding. 

In my work on this site, I’ve probably reviewed over 100 brands. I’ve seen the good, bad, and ugly.

So where does GAP fit into the mix? 

GAP is a great place to get your seasonal staples. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a piece from GAP that was exceptionally unique and a total showstopper as the centerpiece of an outfit. 

But if you’re looking for Oxford shirts, quality jeans, and some excellent layering pieces that don’t cost a small fortune, GAP is an excellent place to start. 

Like I said, with cooler weather on the way, I popped into a store and tried a few things and found some basic, stylish pieces that are versatile and seamlessly fit in with just about everything else in my wardrobe. 

My Hands-On Review

When I walked into the store, I was pleased to see so many pieces that have a timeless look to them, so the outfits I put together aren’t going out of style any time soon. 

GAP Jeans

GAP got their start with jeans, so that’s where I’ll start my review, too. 

This isn’t my first pair of jeans from the GAP. I’ve owned another pair for about seven years, and they’re currently stained with paint, faded, and two sizes too small. But they’re still going strong—no holes and the fabric still keeps its shape.

I’ve tried other brands of jeans—some that cost north of $150 for a pair, and I still haven’t found a pair of jeans I can wear on the daily like my old GAPs. But they’ve lost their crispy deep indigo color, so I grabbed a new pair I can fade in. 

GAP has a ton of different fit options: Relaxed, Straight, Slim, Slim Taper, Skinny, and the list goes on. 

I tried on fits in the Staight, Slim, Slim Taper, and Skinny. Of all the fits, my favorite is Slim Taper: it’s fairly narrow through the hips and thighs, but still leaves a bit of room. Under the knee it comes to a significant taper so there isn’t a ton of extra fabric around the ankle. 

That’s my biggest pet-peeve with jeans—the leg opening is often too wide for my taste. With a slimmer leg opening, men tend to look taller and thinner, both of which are good things. 

The Slim Taper and Skinny fit both have the kind of taper I like below the knee. The Straight and Slim didn’t however—they’re more a relaxed fit below the knee. 

But I’m actually wearing the Skinny fit here in these pictures. Why Skinny if I prefer the Slim Taper? Well, they didn’t have the deep indigo wash I like so much in Slim Taper. So Skinny it is. 

Honestly, my thighs are big enough to where the fabric hugs my legs regardless of whether I’m wearing a Straight cut, Slim, or Skinny, so I didn’t notice too much of a difference (besides the leg opening, which is tapered how I like it). 

These jeans feature a 12oz denim, which is a mid-weight fabric that transitions well through any season. There’s also a bit of added Spandex, which GAP calls “GapFlex.”

They’re also made through GAP’s Washwell initiative, which saves thousands of gallons of water compared to traditional denim production methods. 

I’ve been wearing these jeans every day since I got them. I’m trying not to wash them either because I don’t want the color to fade. 

After owning two pairs of jeans from GAP, I can say I’m a big fan. I can attest to how long they last (my first pair is still strong after about seven years). And while they’re not expensive like many other brands, they fit well and have a rich color.

Cotton Slub Sweater

The Cotton Slub Sweater fits smaller than the rest of GAP’s clothes, so if you like the look of this piece and you’re ordering online, get the next size up.

While I ordered a medium in the two shirts below, the large fits me really well in this sweater, and I’ve been loving it.

Made with slub cotton, the material is dynamic and interesting. It has a lot of texture, and I like that there’s an elastic band around the waist. Because of that band, this sweater does a good job of hiding your belly (if you have one) and accentuating your shoulders. 

My only gripe with the Cotton Slub Sweater is that after a wash, the seams at the shoulders can get bunched up and need a thorough steaming to flatten out. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s important to note that this sweater requires a little extra care. 

It also shrinks significantly in the wash, so if you’re wearing it and thinking it’s a touch large: don’t worry, it’ll shrink down to size after a cleaning. 

This makes for a solid standalone piece throughout fall, and it’ll look great as a bottom layer in winter. That robust texture is a winner in the colder months, so I’ll be relying on this piece often.