Gap Born to Fit Party & GIVEAWAYS!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had the privilege to host a Gap Born to Fit party last night. Gap is celebrating its 40-year anniversary this year, and to celebrate, has re-engineered its 1969 jeans line in all new fits, styles and washes. And was it ever a good time!

As a Brand Enthusiast, I was able to invite quite a few lucky girls to attend - and was fortunate to have Brenna host the event. We energetically (at least in spirit!) climbed the 59 steps up to her gorgeous home (guided by my motivational signs, of course.



At the top, the girls were treated to a full spread of goodies courtesy of Gap. The guests had no idea what was in store for them...


First, I asked each girl to don a nametag, since not everyone knew each other.

In order to make it more fun, I added a "I was born to________." line for each girl to fill out. Apparently my friends are born to Eat, Shop, Laugh & Giggle, Dance, Dominate Traffic, Photograph, Give Big Hugs, Draw, and more. (I was Born to Boogie - so says my Mom - since she went into labor while at a disco. Explains a lot, doesn't it?)

We munched on appetizer treats, including "Born to Snack" popcorn (served in the darling branded bowl) and "Born to Indulge/Shop/Play/Love" M&Ms, and other enticing splurges.


The soundtrack for the evening's festivities was provided by yours truly; I handpicked and made "Girls, Denim & (No) Blues" CDs for each guest, and only slightly tweaked the song titles to fit the theme for the evening.



See below for the full playlist. No judging - the songs were chosen for their fit!


Before we dove into the jeans and the full-fledged shopping extravaganza, we gathered on the roofdeck to enjoy the gorgeous Chicago sunset.





With a roofdeck like Brenna (and her fantastic husband) owns, we were all seated comfortably around and could talk. I gave a quick, highly unprepared speech about what the party was about - and answered questions about Gap, the 1969 Born to Fit jeans, how I was selected and what was required of them (pretty much this: pick jeans, love jeans, shop Gap).





When the sun had fully set, we descended to the kitchen/Gap Jeans Bar to check out the jeans. Don'tcha just like the sound of that? Gap Jeans Bar. I know. Combines my two favorite things, too. As shown at the top of the post, there were the Sexy Boot in a medium wash, the Always Skinny in a dark wash and the Real Straight in a medium wash.


The girls and I immediately noticed - these weren't your Mom's jeans. If anyone walked into the party with a preconceived notion of what Gap jeans were like, they changed their mind pretty quickly. All ideas were changed fully as soon as the first girl tried them on. Wow! Each girl was stunned to see how long, lean, slim, stylish and, well, FIT they looked in them. Each style, each size, each wash - all the same. Perfect fits!


And the fabric, stitching, inseam, cut and general make of the jeans was far more detailed than ever before - the medium wash is incredibly soft - those jeans you could wear all day at work or to Target on a Saturday; the dark wash is perfect for a night out with heels or a casual brunch with flip flops.

Knowing my girlfriends, they are a hip bunch. They shop a lot, they like designer jeans, they love to look good (what woman doesn't?) and they will spend more if they think it is necessary to get the right quality and the right fit. I think the trying-on process proved to each girl that these ARE designer jeans - at everyday prices.

I loved watching each girl choose one or two pairs, head back to the Born to Fit(ting) rooms and come out to model their pick.



Looking good, huh? Born to Fit indeed!


Catwalking was not required, but everyone seemed happy to strike a pose.

I was the proud mama watching each girl squeal in delight to realize they fit in a smaller size, or could finally love a skinny jean!, or could even wear THOSE heels with the bootcut pair. I was proud to be able to show these girls the way. Thanks, Gap.

After the try-on session, we indulged in Giordano's thin crust pizza - a Chicago staple. Shopping works up an appetite! As an aside, I loved watching my friends, from all different circles or times of my life, mix and mingle together. All in the name of good jeans.

As the night wound down, I made sure each girl had gotten the pair of their dreams - and if not, I made sure to send them home with a Jeans certificate good for a pair of their choice at Gap. Some of the bootcut sizes were awfully long (not everyone in my life is, ahem, 5'12"), but most opted to take the pair and have them hemmed to just the right length - when they are free, it isn't much of a splurge!

Finally, each guest got to take a Born to Fit reusable tote bag for their goods - another great idea by Gap - and they were more than happy to mug for photos with 'em.



I may be born to blog, or boogie, or host parties, or tell long stories, or wear LONG jeans, or stay up late, or drink wine, or love Macs, or eat french fries, or miss Georgia...

But seriously?

My girls are Born to Fit in with one another.

Hugging their new friends, and clutching their new gifts, they embarked on the 59 steps down to leave for the night.




Thanks to all who attended, and especially to Justine from Brand About Town for allowing us the opportunity to try Gap's new jeans and enjoy one another. Check out the full set of pictures from the party here.

I certainly think we've proved to a lot of girls that Gap jeans are hip, cool, stylish, comfortable, sexy and made for every body. They are worth a second look if you've not been to Gap in awhile, and if you have, stop back in and check 'em out! You may never spend money on designer jeans again.

But wait! Don't go!

What's in it for you?

I have a contest. I have two prizes to award: a certificate for a FREE PAIR of Gap Jeans of your choice, and a $50 gift certificate for use at any Gap store.

What's the deal?

By Monday at 7 pm CT, tell me (in the comments) what YOU were born to do. I will choose, in a highly subjective, entirely random manner, the top two answers, and will re-post your answer in a special Born To blog next week, along with the prize announcements.

Ok. Got that?

What were YOU Born To do? Get creative. This isn't just "work." or "breathe." This has to be something CLEVER.

Jeans and Gap shopping is on the line, people!

All you blog lurkers (defined as those that visit but don't comment) are free to come out of the woodwork now! Thanks again Gap.

You and I? We're Born to Fit.

Mind the Gap

Remember last year when I was asked to be a method maven and got to host a really cool party where 15 of my girlfriends and I got to go to a pop-up store on Halsted and make cool organic gifts and products like candles, lip balm and more? It was a great opportunity to work on behalf of a cool company like method, brag a little about their products, and share the love and wealth with my friends?

Well, the branding fairy has found me again.

I have been approached again to serve as a Brand Enthusiast for yet another great opportunity - on behalf of another exciting and relevant American brand - Gap. I wouldn't sign up for this type of thing if I didn't believe in the power of word-of-mouth marketing, or if I didn't respect the company that was asking. And, both of those things are true here. Gap is a solid, respectable company that makes all-American products that I love, buy, wear and wear again.

When I was being "interviewed" by the branding company that has been hired by Gap, I had the privilege of spending an afternoon with Justine at a local coffee shop. After our time was spent getting to know each other, she said, "well, that's it. Then let's walk over to Gap and buy you an outfit."

Uhm....what?!?

That may be the best thing I've heard all week. So, we did. She had a budget, but it was generous, so we raced through the store and picked up things I should try on for size. She was appraising, kind and honest as I put each option on and twirled around in front of the gently back-lit Gap dressing room mirrors. I settled on not one, but TWO darling summer dresses that were not on sale. I could barely contain my glee as the sales clerk pulled off the tags and put them into a bag for me - with no money exchanged. It was my very first shopping spree! Thank you Justine, and Gap. (Said dresses have come in handy already - both at a baby shower and on a boat for the Fourth of July fireworks - I was the picture of American casual preppy style in them).

So what's on the agenda for this assignment?

This year is the 40th anniversary of the company, and they are bringing to market a new line of jeans that are expected to be a game-changer for women's denim. I'm going to be lucky enough to host a party at my home for 20 of my closest girlfriends where we'll all get cool treats (I'm leaving THAT part a surprise for now) and will learn more about what Gap has going.

In the meantime, however, I came home to find a few cool surprises in the form of a Gap Brand Enthusiast "welcome kit:"

Look! A fancy big white box, filled with an over sized canvas tote bag, a full-size Gap perfume called Close, a packet of Gap travel lip glosses (woohoo!) and a t-shirt that says "Born to Blog."

Well, I may not have been born to blog, but I'm definitely born to tell stories. So, stay tuned for the next part of the Gap denim story - coming in late August. I'm looking forward to sharing the love, and the surprises, with my friends on August 13th on my roof deck where I'll host the Born to Fit party.

See? Good things come to those that tell long stories. In a public forum.

With lovely friends who read. And shop. And talk about it. We can't forget that part.

Don't we just love branding at its best?




#GapBornToFit