Gap vs. Banana Republic - length & cut of tops

[♥ms.pacman♥]

is it just me or almost all the sweaters/tops at the Gap waay way too short these days? and very boxy and unflattering. and quality is not that great. or i am just getting old? lol

i went shopping yesterday on the lookout for a chunky beige sweater i could wear for photoshoot. i went to Gap first. i tried on half a dozen things that all looked horrendous on me..were way too short, and made my top look extremely bulky. not flattering AT ALL.

then i went to BR, and i tried on 6 similar things, and wow what a difference. it's not just the quality of the fabric, it's the cut or something. the tops are longer and more flattering. the annoying thing though is that BR is much more expensive. i ended up buying a few things there.

i don't know. anybody else have this issue? it seems like Gap is mainly suited for those who are are super thin, at least on top. i used to shop there a ton in college (would get most of my clothes there) but now it seems like whenever i go to try stuff on there it just doens't work, at all. I don't know if they've changed the style of clothes or if my body type just doesn't work there anymore since getting older/having kids.

[TxCat]

I always see cute Gap stuff online or in ads and when I go to try it on, it's a big fat fail for one reason or another.

J. Crew also has longer cut tops, in case you are still looking.

[mommylamb]

I much prefer BR to Gap. They also seem to have styles that are more mature (mature in a good way, not old lady like).

[specialp]

Oh, yes. Much prefer BR to Gap for basics. The boxy boyfriend cut sweaters + the fact that so much of their stuff is wide horizontal stripes (I think that is the only pattern they like) = terrible. The sales person told me to size down which I did and it helped, but I never bought anything other than button ups and their workout pants which I love.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Probably a difference of trendy (Gap) vs classic (BR).

[echoesofspring]

Probably a difference of trendy (Gap) vs classic (BR).

Yeah, I think the boxy look is in right now. Ain't gonna work on me, though...

[ilfaith]

I've found Gap tops to be very boxy for the past few seasons...same with many of their dresses. Nothing fits right. It reminds me of the old SNL Gap Girls sketches ("Belt it! Cinch it!")

[daniele_ut]

I haven't found anything for myself at Gap in ages, but I bought a bunch of tops and sweaters at the BR Factory Store a few weeks ago. Everything in the store was 50% off and I had a coupon on top of that so I came away with 2 sweaters and 5 tops for about $120

[ett]

The boxy look doesn't work on me either and yeah, the quality is not that great. I have a few things from Gap but in general I do much better at BR.

[twowhat?]

I RARELY buy from the Gap anymore! The last thing I got there was a jewel-neck cardigan. Just a basic cardigan and I really just liked the color. As for length of tops, agree that there is something going on with the "boxy" trend that is more evident at Gap. I've definitely had better luck with BR. I don't go to Gap anymore unless I need something really basic like a layering tee to go underneath something.

Even with BR stuff, a lot of times I go to the Tall sale section just to make sure what I get is long enough (tops)! I have a couple of sweaters and a couple of other basics in BR Tall that I love.