Believe It: These Clothes Are From Gap

Every editorial product is independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our links, we may earn commission.

Get ready to fall back into the Gap. The label has put a distinctive Spring in its step this season with a return-to-its-roots approach that is shockingly chic. The evolution is by design: when Gap Inc. hired Rebekka Bay as creative director, she was charged with a fairly heavy goal: fix it.

So what went wrong? According to an interview in the latest issue of Bloomberg Businessweek, when Bay was hired in October 2012, her primary task was nothing short of a complete overhaul. Giving a nod to the label's legacy, she admitted, "Even if I didn’t want the job, I had to take the job. There was no way I was going to say 'no' to the opportunity."

Aiming to revisit its 1969 roots, Bay combed the archives, "Everyone has an opinion, but I had to go after what it is for me . . . What was my fondest memory of the brand?" She told the magazine. Inspired by the black and white Herb Ritts and Annie Leibovitz campaigns from the '90s as well as those now iconic khaki-clad swing dance TV spots, the goal was to return to the "casual chic uniform," in short, "make Gap Gap again."

We'd call this a job well done — which is no surprise coming from the woman behind COS, not to mention a résumé that includes time at H&M. One look at Gap's Spring line, and you'll see what we mean. Source: Gap

Gap Spring 2014

Gap Spring 2014

Espadrille Sandals ($48, originally $60)