Would you like to own a dress that the actress Anne Hathaway wore on the red carpet back in May? Well, now you can.

Not quite ‘the’ dress that was custom made for her, but a close rendition of it, the first offering from the designer Zac Posen in his new role as creative director of Gap.

There’s a lot of interest in this dress. Pictures of The Devil Wears Prada star’s original went viral on social media, after which a limited number of a more accessible (less revealing) version went on sale in the U.S. and were snapped up in six hours.

Now Gap is launching the dress over here tomorrow in the expectation there will be the same frenzied rush to buy, for £120.

To understand why a white poplin shirt dress has caused this much of a stir you need to know a little bit about the history.

Would you like to own a dress that the actress Anne Hathaway wore on the red carpet back in May? Well, now you can (pictured: The actress at the Bulgari Aeterna High Jewelry Brand Event at Altare Della Patria in Rome)

There’s a lot of interest in this dress. Pictures of The Devil Wears Prada star’s original went viral on social media, after which a limited number of a more accessible (less revealing) version went on sale in the U.S. and were snapped up in six hours (pictured: Anne Hathaway in the dress)

Dress, £120, gap.co.uk; bodysuit, £50, uk.sloggi.com; shoes, £249, lkbennett.com; necklace, now £18, karenmillen.com

First, Zac Posen. Back in 2019, the American designer announced the closure of his own label after 20 years, and the news caused shockwaves among the A-list female celebrities who relied on him for their Red Carpet Slayers.

Posen was the darling of Hollywood – a bright young designer who knew how to make actresses look like Hollywood legends and modern, powerful women at the same time. Elegant, form fitting, feminine dresses were his stock in trade, cleverly combining old school glamour with a clean edge and polish.

Look up the dress Kate Winslet wore to the 2009 Baftas (a va va voom, hourglass black halterneck); or pictures of Glenn Close at the 2012 Academy Awards wearing a forest green, strapless, fishtail gown with a matching tuxedo jacket (to name just two) and you’ll see women who never looked better, and looked like they knew it.

So, his appointment as creative director of Gap in February this year was unexpected, to say the least. The decision to appoint a designer famous for his flashbulb gowns to turn around the creaking ship of Gap – a brand synonymous with hoodies and sweat pants and All American staples – is something no-one saw coming. Naturally Posen fans and Gap followers were intrigued and eager to see what happened next.

First, Zac Posen. Back in 2019, the American designer announced the closure of his own label after 20 years, and the news caused shockwaves among the A-list female celebrities who relied on him for their Red Carpet Slayers

Kate Winslet (pictured in a Posen outfit) during the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) annual awards held at the Royal Opera House in Central London in 2009

Actress Glenn Close (pictured in a Posen outfit) at the 84th Annual Academy Awards, Los Angeles in 2012

To fully understand the level of this interest, you need to be aware of Gap’s history too. Gap in its heyday – in the late 1980s and right through the 90s – represented the best of American preppy style and was quite simply the only place to buy your smart casual basics, whichever side of the pond you lived.

This was before the golden era at J Crew – the more aspirational and glamorous shopping destination for grown-up preppies – when creative director Jenna Lyons was called the ‘woman who dresses America’ and Gap began to look increasingly past its sell-by date.

So it needed to take a brand new tack, and with Zac Posen on board that’s clearly the intention.

As it happens, his appointment might not be quite as daring as it seems. From 2014 to 2020, Posen was creative director of womenswear at Brooks Brothers, the name once synonymous with the button down shirt, number one staple of a smart preppy wardrobe.

Preppy style is right at the heart of designer fashion now and Posen is in a strong position. He knows both sides of the coin.

As creative director of Gap he’s obliged to do something different from the competition. Sharper. Distinctly American, no doubt, but with a fresh new fashion twist. It’s worth noting that J Crew is no longer the force that it was – so there is a gap on the high street waiting to be filled for a more creative take on the preppy theme.

Which brings us back to that dress – Posen’s first (Gap have not yet confirmed if they’ll be releasing more of his designs). He describes it as a reimagining of Gap’s classic white shirt with a bit of inspiration from Audrey Hepburn’s wardrobe in Roman Holiday.

It’s white, it’s crisp, it’s clean, it has a stiff shirt collar but it’s also darted at the waist, designed to be worn open to the breastbone and nonchalantly falling off one shoulder in a half sweetheart neckline (the full sweetheart would be too sweet, this is fresh and modern looking). And it’s long, right down to the floor, which gives it extra elegance points – even if the skirt is meant to be left unbuttoned to hotpants level.

The dress has the crossover appeal – plain and sporty yet feminine and 𝓈ℯ𝓍y – that young women are looking for now. But my guess is this will be snapped up by rich women looking for holiday dresses – something fresh to wear in the sun with ankle strap flat sandals, a ponytail and dark glasses.

Gwyneth might take one to the beach house. Sienna might slip one on for a sightseeing expedition. I’d be surprised if Naomi Campbell hasn’t got one already. It’s too bare and a little too modern bridesmaid for those of us who shopped in Gap in the 1980s. But it’s a good start and it bodes well. Let’s see what’s in store come the autumn.