Dôen, the L.A. brand known for vintage-inspired blouses, floral dresses, and actually wearable pleated pants, has launched a 51-piece collaboration with Gap, and to say we are excited is an understatement — especially since everything has Gap prices. (At Dôen, a pair of jeans starts at $198 and dresses range from a couple hundred bucks to $500 or more.)
The collection includes women’s and children’s clothing priced between $20 and $158. Sisters and Dôen co-founders Katherine and Margaret Kleveland reimagined famous Gap designs with feminine flourishes and billowy proportions, adding balloon sleeves to a denim jacket, a doily collar to a striped button-down, and extra-wide legs to chinos and jeans. You can shop the collection now in select stores and online, though a few items have already sold out.
To see everything in person and figure out some of the sizing (much of the collab is meant to be oversize, but Gap sizing generally runs larger than Dôen’s), I went to the Gap in Times Square to try things on IRL with Strategist writer Lauren Ro and senior editor Winnie Yang. Our consensus: The denim jacket and the striped button-down are clear winners, but there’s some other good stuff too (as well as a couple disappointments). Here’s our crib sheet.
I have way too many denim jackets at home, but I was sold on this one as soon as I tried it on. The denim is really lightweight and soft, great for the summer. It definitely runs one or two sizes too big: I normally wear a medium but got one in size small, and the extra-small fit pretty well too. The jacket also comes in kids’ sizes.
All three of us liked this oversize button-down with a lacy, doily-esque collar that isn’t as stiff as it looks in the photo. Overall the shirt feels more casual than business-y or grandma-y. It definitely runs big, so to get the perfect oversize-but-not-too-oversize fit, I sized down once.
This eyelet tank top is both soft and crisp, and the detail is really special. The matching skirt is sold out online (though it’s still available in Times Square), but the tank top would look just as nice, if not nicer, with a pair of vintage Levi’s.
Gap loungewear is always worth buying, and the adult and kids’ logo sweatshirts are particularly cute. The red sweatshirt was my preference even though it’s only available in children’s sizing. Just to see, I tried it on in a size extra-large (the biggest it comes), and it fit me perfectly. If I was getting the adult size in gray, I’d buy my usual size medium, which fit a bit baggy.
If ever there was a status tote bag, this is it. It’s available in adult and “kid” sizes, but I think the smaller one is cuter and more unexpected. Plus, it’s a lot cheaper and still roomy enough for a phone, wallet, and light jacket.
This sweet teddy bear is part of the kids’ collection and like a lot of the clothing, it’s bigger than I imagined. It’s so cute and weighted at the bottom so it sits on its own.
We all tried on these denim trousers with high hopes, and though the quality is really nice, the rise was too short on all three of us. They also run about one size big.
We’re always on alert for the perfect mary janes. This faux-leather pair is an online exclusive so we didn’t try them on, but they seem like a steal at under $100.
Like so many of Dôen’s floral dresses, this romantic take on a ’90s-esque floral dress also has 1940s vibes. Though it isn’t one of my top picks — I think the print would look better on bedding than clothes — I do like that the fabric is slinky and drapes well. The kids’ version is cute and light blue instead of cream.
This bias-cut floral skirt has a similar print, but it looked better on the blue background. It fit well once I went down one size and looked nice with the denim jacket and red sweatshirt layered on top.
The texture of this linen cardigan is really pleasing to touch. When we tried it on it leaned pretty heavy on the “grandma” scale, but you could change that by wearing it over a bra top or tank. The fit was pretty true to size.
I wanted to love this tank but despite its nice quality pointelle, it looked too much like an undershirt on me. It does run pretty true to size, but the shape is boxy and it fits almost like a crop top.
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