Reviews: Gap petites rugby stripe dress + espadrille wedges

Gap dressGap rugby striped dress (2 colors, clipped back to show intended fit – see below for actual fit)
Talbots necklace c/o (giveaway winner Nadia S. please claim your prize!) Nana sandals

Remember the cute Gap pleated striped dress at the bottom of this post? I loved the design but the cut unfortunately made me feel like a linebacker. When I saw Gap bring back pleated stripes in the form of this adorable “rugby” dress, I was eager to see if they made any fit updates…
gap dress black
Style: This dress comes in both a peach pink and black stripe, in a cotton blend (64% cotton, 36% poly) with slight texture that I tried to show in the above photo. There are on-seam pockets on both sides plus a concealed back zipper. The skirt is full but not too full which I loved, and the bottom half is lined.

Fit of 0P – original fit (left) and potential alterations (right):

gap dress side
Fit: Sadly, I thought the torso was still cut pretty wide. I’m also on the shorter side of the petite spectrum at ~5 feet and this dress hit 2-3″ above my knees, so the petite sizing might be too short for those a few inches taller. I didn’t think it was worth it to alter since I prefer my dresses to be a little longer, plus alterations would be complex (pleats would need to be re-aligned somehow after the torso is slimmed, side pockets may need to be re-attached, etc).

Measurements of a 0 petite: 13″ across the waist, 16.75″ across the armpits, 15″ torso length from top of shoulder to waistline (this part was perfect for me), 32″ total length.
gap stripe shorts
Both colors of the rugby stripe material also come in skirt form (which frankly didn’t look too flattering being low-rise, scrunchy, and short) as well as shorts form, which looked pretty cute in-store with a conservative 3″ petite inseam. Please note online reviews indicate that the shorts seem to run big as well.gap wedgesAlso in my order were these striped espadrille wedges, which come in a neutral color as well. I’ve been looking for moderately high wedges all summer but just haven’t found any that worked out. These are adorable and comfortable given the height, but I didn’t like how rounded they looked on my feet (personal pet peeve – hard to describe!) thus returned them.
gap striped wedgesAlso I just noticed from this photo that there is dried glue caked on the back heel cup…tsk tsk quality control. Fit wise, these come only in whole sizes and I thought they fit true to size. For those who are interested and wear sz 6+ (5’s are online-only) I saw these marked down to $50 in-store plus extra 50% off!

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39 Comments

  1. Jean wrote:

    Thank you for your feedback, Fiona! : )

    Posted 8.7.14 Reply
  2. Jean wrote:

    Glad you like the skirt, Paige! It's one of my go-tos for summer since the waist is so comfy : )

    Posted 8.7.14 Reply
  3. Jean wrote:

    So glad to hear you're enjoying my blog! That dress is darling…it looked solid from afar but the chevron pattern is so cute when I zoomed in. Happy to hear it was a great fit for you : )

    Posted 8.7.14 Reply
  4. Jean wrote:

    Good to know! Old Navy definitely has some gems. I wish they would both offer petite sizing in stores!

    Posted 8.7.14 Reply
  5. Jean wrote:

    It looks amazing on you! So flattering.

    Posted 8.7.14 Reply
  6. Jean wrote:

    I have to say I really like their denim, though! The petite sizing is online only but I've been really happy with both my legging jeans and the real straight cut. Both fit great and even feel like they run on the small side. And thank you for your feedback! I definitely have a few in the works including a video later this week!

    Posted 8.7.14 Reply
  7. Jean wrote:

    Interesting! I'm a fan of Target shoes and must've missed that one. Thanks for sharing : )

    Posted 8.7.14 Reply
  8. Jean wrote:

    Thank you for your recommendation, Hanna! It is a shame but hopefully they will offer extended sizing in the future like they do with their other brand, BR.

    Posted 8.7.14 Reply
  9. Jean wrote:

    Hi there – they are Nana brand from yoox.com but unfortunately a year or two old!

    Posted 8.7.14 Reply
  10. Gigi Katz wrote:

    loved that dress from the front. I wonder how it would fit me. thanks for sharing it! the shoes are cute too. xx. gigi. http://www.gigikkitchen.com

    Posted 8.6.14 Reply
  11. B.A.D I Blog About Design wrote:

    I love these espadrilles as well! Such a great dress 🙂

    Check out the B.A.D blog: blogaboutdesign.com

    Posted 8.6.14 Reply
  12. Angelicas Closet wrote:

    What cute outfit!

    Posted 8.6.14 Reply
  13. Gigi wrote:

    I love your attention to detail!

    Posted 8.5.14 Reply
  14. Meize Mouse wrote:

    For another summer wedge option, I got the Target Merona espadrille wedge for $15 and I've been wearing the off white color with everything from dresses to boyfriend jeans! They're super similar to the J. crew wedges and I've had no problems with them.

    Posted 8.5.14 Reply
  15. Hanna wrote:

    Being 5' 0" myself and similar build, I have always struggled with Gap! Gap Petite the UK has only been available since last year, which got me excited but then I realised how wide their size block is! Such a shame as I find cute items in there and I just know I'm going to have to alter them!

    For moderately high wedges, try Kurt Geiger (Monty wedges!) – and they ship to US at a really decent price!

    Posted 8.5.14 Reply
  16. Anonymous wrote:

    where did you get the tall stacked heels in the first picture? those would be perfect for a wedding i'm going to soon.

    Posted 8.5.14 Reply
  17. Julie wrote:

    Dangzors that dress is wide on you! They need to rethink their sizing.

    Style by Joules

    Posted 8.5.14 Reply
  18. Miss Hot Couture wrote:

    Yes I have issues with Gap sizing too. They are usually too big but I am not petite so things have been hit or miss for me. Also I think the espadrille wedges are cute!

    http://www.misshotcouture.blogspot.com

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  19. Chantelle wrote:

    Seriously, what would us little slim girls do without you? Thanks for the heads up on brands that are heavy with vanity sizing. I cleared Gap off my list a while back, which is pretty disappointing since they have cute items and nice price points. C'est la vie!

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  20. Anonymous wrote:

    Hi Jean! Love your review posts! Keep up the good work! I am about 5'1 and 101lbs and I have never been able to find anything that fits me at Gap. The dress does look very cute on you though. A couple months back you did a post on how to style a sheath dress for work and I thought that was awesome. Will you be doing more work clothes styling guides in the future?

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  21. Anonymous wrote:

    *UPDATE*

    Ooooops! Never mind, I just didn't look hard enough! I found your email! Thank yoooouuuu <3
    -Nadia S

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  22. Anonymous wrote:

    Ah! Ah! Jean!!! That is me!!!! It is I, Nadia S! But…i do not know your email! And in the link I can only find your social media….! Should I facebook you? I really am beside myself right now….I don't know what to do…..i cannot believe i actually won! OOOH thank you so much!!

    -Nadia S

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  23. Liz | Shopping My Closet wrote:

    Sorry to hear the peach rugby dress didn't work out for you!
    Having purchased it myself with regular sizing, I have to say it did run a bit large but sizing down did make it fit TTS for me (see it here).

    Liz @ ShoppingMyCloset.com
    NEW! Weekly Style Me Wednesday fashion blog link-up

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  24. A Golden Tulip wrote:

    Informative review of the dress, and those espadrilles does look too round, returning them is a good choice.

    xo

    http://agoldentulip.blogspot.com/

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  25. EVA. wrote:
    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  26. Anonymous wrote:

    Love the flooring!

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  27. Sasa Zoe wrote:

    Fit is very important. Thanks for sharing this. I love your blog:)

    http://www.shallwesasa.com

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  28. Anonymous wrote:

    I have been having a lot of trouble with the Gap dresses. Too big in a 0P and way too short on me (5'2" 112 lbs). If I get regular the proportions are still out of whack. I have had great success with the oldnavy ponte dresses this summer in XSP, cute and machine washable. Dirt cheap too, which is good for weekend "mom on the go" attire and can be dressed up for date night. Only annoyance is you need a racerback or strapless bra underneath.

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  29. Millie Scimia wrote:

    I agree! The espadrilles are so cute! They looked great on you!

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  30. laughsandgiraffes wrote:

    I was so happy to find your blog!! I'm also an Asian girl with the exact same measurements, and I've never met another person like me. I've been back-stalking to see your past experiences, as I commonly shop at Banana and Loft, with not much luck other places.

    I bought this dress at Loft last weekend: Petite Chevron Jacquard in 00P and it fits surprisingly well (wearing it today). I've had problems in the past with Loft dresses bust darts being too low for my body, but this is in just the right place.

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  31. Paige Ma wrote:

    I had the same experience with the dress, which I ordered in black. I was so excited about it based on the picture, but also returned because I felt it did not fit well. 🙁 However, I also just ordered the Modcloth "Stripe it Lucky" skirt you reviewed a while back, and love it!

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  32. Li wrote:

    The dress and shorts are so cute!

    http://www.simplyli.com/

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  33. Malensu Kabeya wrote:

    The dress and espadrilles are too cute!

    Malensu
    lennylikestoblog.blogspot.co.uk

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  34. Jos wrote:

    Dress on first picture is adorable. Keep up .
    http://travelwithstyleanabellem.blogspot.com

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  35. Carol from Petite Style Online wrote:

    Thanks for sharing your honest reviews for the dress and shoes!

    http://www.petitestyleonline.com

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  36. Dressed with soul wrote:

    The dresses are both wonderful! Recently I bought a similar dress with black & white stripes at C&A; and surprisingly the fit is perfect 🙂

    xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena

    http://www.dressedwithsoul.com

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  37. Mei Fleming wrote:

    These espadrilles are so so cute!

    http://www.eyelikefashion.com

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  38. Vanessa wrote:

    I love that dress <3 Although I do feel your pain in wanting to buy a dress but having it not fit. I've had to let go of a lot of clothes because of it!

    Vessi :: arts & petite style blog

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply
  39. Fiona Wu wrote:

    Hi Jean! I usually read your blog on my Feedly so venturing to the site was a pleasant surprise–love the new theme/colors. I totally know what you mean by the espadrilles giving you a too-round toe, it's also my pet peeve!

    Posted 8.4.14 Reply

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