From mall brand to Met Gala: Zac Posen shares the stories behind Gap’s biggest red carpet moments

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue; Matt Baron/BEI / Shutterstock; Stephen Lovekin / Shutterstock Gap on the red carpet? It’s no longer an oxymoron. Since Zac Posen started his role as creative director, stars like Kendall Jenner, Demi Moore and Timothée Chalamet have all stepped out in custom GapStudio designs that made headlines. But while he’s brought the brand everywhere from awards shows to the Met Gala, Posen told us these elevated looks almost all start in the same, no-frills way: “In our studio in New York with a Gap piece on the table and a person standing in front of me.” “I look at the core Gap wardrobe — the denim, the khaki, the white shirt, the tee — and ask what happens if we treat it with the craft usually reserved for evening wear,” he told Page Six Style. “Nothing gets replaced. It gets sharpened.” Below, Posen shares the behind-the-scenes stories of some of his most famous looks, including the surprising origins of Jenner’s winged ensemble from the 2026 Met Gala. Anne Hathaway (2024) Anne Hathaway helped usher in a new era for Gap. Getty Images for Bulgari “[We] took the collar and placket of a Gap shirt and gave it a waist and a corset. When we released the $158 version it sold out in hours, and that told us exactly what people wanted from this brand. More recently, we made her a custom look for the ‘Odyssey’ press tour.” Timothée Chalamet (2025) Timothée Chalamet made history by wearing the brand’s first men’s red carpet design. AFP via Getty Images “Timothée Chalamet at the 2025 Oscars nominees dinner was our first men’s look. Black duchess satin cut as the Gap Icon jacket and the loose jean, with a black silk jersey tee. Dylan in the ’60s [and] Gap selling jeans and records in its first store by 1969 — same American story.” Kendall Jenner (2026) Kendall Jenner looked angelic in Gap at the Met Gala in 2026. Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue “Kendall Jenner at this year’s Met Gala began with her taking a white Gap T-shirt off my back and pulling at it. It became a gown in lightweight cotton viscose that falls like wet drapery over a leather bodice, inspired by the Winged Victory of Samothrace.” Claire Danes (2026) Claire Danes’ backless Golden Globes gown was a Gap original. Penske Media via Getty Images “Claire Danes at the 2026 Golden Globes was an elevated take on the Gap pocket tee, an off-white column gown with all-over hand embroidery, semi-matte bugle beading and a dramatic scooped back. She looked breathtaking.” Charli XCX (2026) Charli XCX proved Gap also makes stage-worthy attire. Florence Shen/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images “Charli XCX wore custom GapStudio at Outside Lands: a moto jacket reimagined as a dress she can actually move in — in Golden Gate Park, a few miles from where Gap started.” Why Trust Page Six Style Shopping This article was written by Hannah Southwick, Commerce Associate Editor for Page Six. Hannah spies deals on actually affordable celebrity-worn styles, puts celebrities’ brands to the test and finds the beauty products that keep stars red carpet-ready. She consults stylists and industry pros — including celebs themselves — for firsthand product recommendations, trend predictions and more. In addition to writing for Page Six since 2020, her work has been featured in USA Today and Parade. Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!