Its over a year now since Gap hired former Cos Creative Director, Rebekka Bay, to be its new Global Head of Design and Creative Director. Shes taken her time getting to grips with the brand, absorbing herself in its DNA before offering up her new vision and so far weve only seen hints of her influence weve thoroughly dissected the brands a/w 2013 collection for evidence of her handwriting. But this morning we got a first look at s/s 2014, Bays first official Gap collection.
So what can you expect when you walk into stores come February? No big surprises. Bay's new look isnt a major sea change, more a subtly stripped back, back-to-basics take on the brand. The real inspiration came from Gap, says Bay. My starting point was actually the icons. So we know half the collection already, and its more of an exercise in how to apply seasonality. Shes focused on the core pieces that the high street giant is best known for denim, shirts, basic knits and concentrated on making them as brilliant as they can possibly be.
Theres a mixture of masculine and feminine pieces, from distressed boyfriend jeans and oversized shirts through to printed dresses and floral jeans. And theres a lot of blue in varying shades theres been a conscious move away from using so much black. Theyve taken a more casual, jeans-based approach and really gone back to Gaps roots, which make absolute sense for Rebekkas first collection, says ELLE Assistant Editor and ELLE Collections Editor, Rebecca Lowthorpe.
Our favourite pieces? The navy MA-1 bomber jacket, the dip-dyed boyfriend shirt that fades from turquoise to pale pink, the navy and white biker jacket, the pastel coloured clutches and straight white jean with pale blue rectangular patches across the knees. The first pieces will be available in February 2014.