Despite predictions of inclement weather and warnings from friends against the heinously long lines, I knew that I had to attend the debut of ColettexGap last Saturday. The prospect of the Gap collaborating with Colette, the Parisian purveyor of all things cool and French, was too exciting to let a little rain get in my way. I headed over to the Gap’s 58th St. location with an equally enthusiastic (or perhaps just easily persuaded friend). We jumped on the end of the line, only to discover that the end of the line was in fact all the way around the block. The next hour and a half was grueling to be sure. Passers-by stopped frequently to ask what the Gap could possibly be doing to attract such a crowd. Rain began to fall heavily about an hour into the wait, forcing us to buya huge umbrella from a street vendor and endure complaints from neighboring line members that our umbrella was hitting them. As we approached the door of the tiny store attached the Gap, we mustered all of our remaining strength and decided that whether or not we wanted to, we had to purchase something, at least as a souvenir. “You can always sell it on E-bay,” noted my friend. Luckily, when we finally entered, wet and weary, we were happily surprised. The store was full of creative T-shirts created in collaborations by artists in Paris and New York. Highlights included customized trench Gap trench coats, beautifully embellished sweatshirts and special edition jersey Repetto flats. In addition to clothing, ColettexGap offered scented candles, wall decals, and adorable white paint-your-own Smurf dolls. When we left the store, t-shirts in hand and pining for the upcoming mouse-shaped leather clutches, we were met by gusting winds and many, many off-duty cabs. Nontheless, we had braved the lines and gotten one of the first looks at a much-anticipated collaboration. We could surely brave the storm as well.
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—Rebecca Pattiz
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