Gap Khakis - 20 Years of Swing!

The famous "Khakis Swing" ad!

The blue woven shirt also became a Gap best-seller thanks to this commercial.

"Khakis Rock" with The Crystal Method!

Khaki pants are so lower class.

"Khakis Groove" was the third of the original three Khakis commercials of 1998.

1999 would feature more successful Khakis ads!

Cargo Khakis Pants were for everyone in 1998!

Even women!

Any one knows the name of model/dancer from the OP/R1 links? I as in love with him but I can't remember what his name was...

One of the edits of the “Khakis Swing “ commercial has a closeup of that guy’s face, R7. I’ll post it later! He’ Hot!

The one I just loved was when that slutty-looking handsome British dancer from the all-male "Swan Lake" danced in them. What was his name? He was so hot.

Wait, you don't think the ODC/The Bobs 1984 GAP commercials were the launching pad for big sales??!! I'm in 4 out of 5. Made at the old Desilu Studios on a concrete floor. Have some compassion.

The woman in OP’s pic has TERF bangs.

TOT but didn't Sarah Jessica Parker star in those 'I enjoy being a girl' campaign?

I thought she starred in that "I enjoy being a horse' campaign.

I want to know more about the GAP playlist guy. I wonder what it would be like to go out on a date with him. Would he connect everything to the GAP or does his obsession have a time and place?

Is the GAP Troll on the autism spectrum?

Not meant as a criticism - just genuinely curious as so many men I know that have this specific kind of focus ARE indeed on the spectrum.

He’s on the spectrum of my heart!

R7, this edit of "Khakis Swing" begins with a closeup of that cute guy's face!

Then in April 1999 was our next big Khakis campaign.

From my youTube Channel:

"Khaki Country" at Gap in April 1999!

"It's Gonna Be A Lovely Day" at GAP with "Khaki Soul" in April 1999!

From my YouTube Channel:

And then in March 2000, we had the "Are You A Jean Or Are You A Khaki?" campaign.

Here's "Cool" from my YouTube Channel:

"Mambo" from March 2000 on my YouTube Channel:

R17, I used to live for that commercial when I was a gayling, still in the close and in love with that dancer.

Jesus Christ, someone must know who that male dancer with the black shirt at R17 is.

Also, the male dancer from R18 was such great dancer. Loved him too.

"America" from March 2000 and my YouTube Channel:

[Quote] It feels like I'm revisiting old friends.

That's great to read that reliving these great Gap memories is nice for you!

Back when I started with Gap in October 1992, this model was the dreamiest!

The dancer featured in R18 is Kevin Stea, who most famously danced with Madonna on her World Tour. (He was in the Truth or Dare video, etc.) He doesn’t pop up as much now, but has done a lot of modeling and commercial work. He’s a silver fox now - still really good looking.

Gap Queen - why skip over '99 without including the "Dress You Up" vest commercial? Is it not canon?

R14, Hopefully, any guy on a date with me has already read about me on my blog or on the article about me in the online edition of 'The New Yorker' last Summer.

Of course, Gap will come up in conversation naturally. It's bound to!

R27, I was pointing out commercials about Gap Khakis, not vest or leather.

Or Cords.

From July & August 1999, on my YouTube channel:

Here's "Everybody In Leather" for R27, from July & August 1999.

And from my YouTube Channel:

What was the pay like?

These stores need to make a comeback. The last time I was in there it was super boring and everything looked cheap yet way overpriced.

Pay for Visual Merchandising Managers at Gap was and still is very, very good.

I'm really hoping that Gap makes a comeback. I recently visited Austin and wanted to check out a Gap, and I could only find THREE on my iPhone! And I remembered at least a dozen circa the Early 2000s.

Still seeking...

I read the article and have browsed your site before, but they don’t say much about you. I was glad to see you got the prized 1998 list in the end, though!

And to be clear, I’m not making fun. I find this whole endeavor pretty cute and charming. It makes one wonder what makes you tick. Also I’m not r15 though I don’t think that post was unkindly meant.

OP, enough.

FYI, the “Jump Jive and Wail” used in the YouTube video above, at least, wasn’t the Brian Setzer version, it was the original Louis Prima version. He wrote that song. Brian Setzer brought it back. The Setzer version is faster and heavy on the guitar, because Setzer is such a great guitarist. It’s arranged to suit his own band. Prima had a talented sax player in his band, Sam Butera, and his arrangements are heavier on sax for that reason.

Louis Prima was the husband of singer Keely Smith, whom we’ve had a thread about here. Prima also wrote “Sing Sing Sing.”

Will Kemp was the hot dancer.

Jump, Jive 'N' Wail!!!!

20 YEARS of Swing with Gap Khakis!

this is strange but I was going to swing by Gap today and get some Khaki shorts

Advertisers are rabid, amoral humans.

They like total control of simple-minded people's brains.

They are akin to pedophiles.

R39, Gap Cargo Shorts, like these from Summer 1999?

Twenty Years since the greatest era in Gap's history!

The great Swing Dancing Craze that Gap spurred on!

Such classic fashions!

Kylie did a really odd GAP Jeans commercial a few years ago

What happened to all of these models? What do they look like today? Especially the ones in Dress you up in my vest, Everyone in cords, Everyone in leather, and Mellow Yellow. Those are the quintessential GAP commercials.

I still love Gap but their models now looked like they just grabbed every third person at a comic book/sci fi convention.

But in the past we had real models, nice-looking people.

I know this ad isn't from the golden-era of Gap ads being celebrated, but I heard Give a Little Bit on the radio yesterday and remembered these old Gap Holiday commercials!

I love that version of Dress You Up! I wonder what Madonna thought?

Those colorful trousers the girls are wearing in the Mambo ad are very nice, feminine and flattering.

You know what GAP I always love, the one from around. Christmas 2001 where a bunch of people in striped scarves sang, “Give a little bit of my love to you,” it was so sweet.

The guy in the front of the image linked at R30 is so familiar looking to me. I’m sure he’s an actor and been in something I’ve seen not that long ago.

[quote] Is the GAP Troll on the autism spectrum?

I think she's just batshit cray cray

And trashy as fuck

The guy at R30 is Jason Thompson who was on 'General Hospital' for many years and has been on 'The Young and the Restless' for the last few years. He's also in the "Everybody In Cords" / "Mellow Yellow" commercial.

I think all ads through about 2005 are iconic.

Thank you R52 the soap mag covers must be where I’ve seen him.

The khakis-a-go-go ad is my favorite...maybe because all the moves are taken from Sweet Charity.

I love "Trees" from Holiday 1999! I loved those clothes, too!

I still have the Reflective Stripe Inline Cargo Pants in the Khaki color - 19 years later!

Wow! I can't say I'd ever thought about these but I had no idea how much I missed them nor what an impression they made on me (particularly that last Christmas one).

Holiday 2000 had such great clothing!

I love the Fall 1993 Fashion Show!

Is that Claire Danes?

Makes me remember when commercials weren’t necessarily irritating.

These were enjoyable to watch and hear.

Another terrific one from Holiday 1999!

God the queerling in the middle of the dress you up was my pretend boyfriend as a kid.

From April 1999, another famous one:

The Fall 1992 Gap & GapKids Fashion Show!

Here is some insight into the Fall 1999 marketing campaign:

Does GAP even make commercials now?

I agree with what others have said upthread: in the last decade their clothing has been boring and the quality has fallen into "Old Navy" territory. There's nothing in those stores that I'd want to wear.

There's still hope for Banana Republic though. Arguably that store was saved by the "business casual" trend in the workplace.

Cher did a Gap commercial which premiered in September 2017 as part of the #MeetMeInTheGap campaign.

In Early 2018, Gap did its Logo Remix collection and this is an extended version of the ads.

The models don't look anything like the models from the classic era.

Remember the awful SJP ads?

They kind of ruin every Gap ad for me.

September 2017 was also when Gap contracted me to create an official Spotify playlist for them, 'Meet Me In The '90s,' which is still their most popular playlist on their Spotify channel.

The SJP 'How Do You Wear It?' campaign from Fall 2004 was pretty good. Women would come into the stores wanting the brooches and pins that SJP is wearing - which we didn't sell!

Jinx, R71!

"She's the Head of the Khaki Committee!"

"How Do You Share It?" - Holiday 2004 with SJP and Will Kemp!

The last Gap ad I recall seeing on television was their Audrey Hepburn (from Funny Face) ad for skinny black pants from like 2006? 2007?

The people in the Gap Swing commercial look very similar to modern humans.