Fashion or Faux Pas at Gap?

We've asked the question before: Is Gap (NYSE: GPS) back? The apparent returning popularity of its self-titled stores as well as Banana Republic and Old Navy storefronts has been something that investors have been optimistic about after a stretch of hard times. Now, Gap, which happens to be a Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick, has tapped a big-name star who many people miss from the recently departed HBO series, Sex and the City.

Sarah Jessica Parker, who had the pivotal role in the show as single-girl writer and fashionista Carrie Bradshaw, will appear on televisions near you, talking up a Gap wardrobe. And while news stories are talking about how Parker's Carrie character exemplified the height of fashion, despite my own apparent lack of fashion know-how, I have to take issue with the concept.

That's what the show wanted us to believe -- that Carrie Bradshaw was on the cutting edge of fashion. Maybe she was, but it's not a feasible concept for the common woman. I think that while the show was something all kinds of women could relate to on many different levels, Carrie's brand of fashion wasn't really one of them.

I question the angle from the point of view that Carrie's expensive clothes and high-end brands evoke the idea of a Paris runway, obscure boutiques, or maybe Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) or Tiffany (NYSE: TIF) more than the knock-around duds Gap is known for.

From the bizarre pink tutu-type getup in the show's opening credits to outfits that, more often than not, were downright outlandish, I think that sometimes the hilarity of the show was at times enhanced by guessing what kind of crazy ensemble Carrie would show up in next. (I nearly had a panic attack during one episode when Carrie, wearing high heels and denim shorts, ran frantically through the streets of New York, chasing her boyfriend's escaped dog -- talk about nearly becoming a fashion casualty. But I digress.)

Here's the good part, though. The show was highly successful, and to that end, Parker has become a popular celebrity with the coveted demographic of women, from teenage years to middle age. While most people probably associate Parker with Carrie, the actress has a down-to-earth demeanor.

So, after Gap's teenybopper years and subsequent customer defection, this high-profile spokesperson could very well get Gap back on the list of shopping stops for women of all ages, even if it requires the suspension of disbelief that was part of the show. (After all, how exactly did a single writer, renting an apartment in Manhattan on her own, afford the high-end wardrobe as well?) So, as much as I question some of the logic of the campaign, I have to admit, it just might work like a charm.

Do you think this idea's a winner? Talk to other Fools about the pros and cons of the new ad campaign on the Gap discussion board.

Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.