英国卫报：Gap是如何迷失自己的？(6)

　　Drexler “just crashed through all of that”, said the former Harper’s Bazaar¹ editor Kate Betts, who worked in Paris as a fashion reporter for the trade publication Women’s Wear Daily during the late 80s.

　　《时尚芭莎》前主编凯特·贝茨说，德雷克斯勒“刚刚经历了这一切”。80年代末，贝茨曾在巴黎行业刊物《女装日报》担任时尚记者。

　　At Gap, where the lines blurred² between men’s and women’s clothing, everyone could get in on the look -- not just baby boomers, but their kids, too.

　　在Gap，男装和女装的界限变得模糊，每个人都可以买到--不仅是婴儿潮一代，他们的孩子也是如此。

　　Drexler’s plan took more than a year to start showing results, but when it did, as he immodestly puts it, the brand took off like a rocket.

　　德雷克斯勒的计划花了一年多的时间才开始见效，但当见效时，正如他不谦虚的说法，“这个品牌像火箭一样起飞了”。

　　Between 1984 and 1985, Gap Inc’s annual revenue jumped from $518m to $647m.

　　1984年至1985年间，盖璞公司的年收入从5.18亿美元跃升至6.47亿美元。

　　By 1990, sales had reached $1.93bn.

　　到1990年，销售额已达19.3亿美元。

　　At that point Gap really did, as it is hoping to do today, provide something for everyone.

　　在这一点上，Gap确实做到了，就像它今天希望做的那样，每个人都可以购买到产品。

　　Drexler’s Gap was born into a golden age of American retail³.

　　德雷克斯勒的Gap诞生于美国零售业的黄金时代。

　　In the 80s, suburban⁴ malls were booming, having become a hangout spot for teenagers, who flocked to their buffets⁵ of chain stores, food courts, and movie theatres.

　　在80年代，郊区的购物中心蓬勃发展，已经成为青少年的聚集地，他们涌向连锁商店的自助餐、美食广场和电影院。

　　Specialty⁶ apparel stores, the retail category to which Gap belongs, started to dominate.

　　Gap所属的零售类别--专业服装店开始占据主导地位。

　　Gap wasn’t merely riding that wave: “It definitely led the way,” said Steven Goldberg, a retail veteran who heads the consulting firm SGG & Associates.

　　Gap不仅仅是在乘着这股浪潮前进，咨询公司SGG&Associates的负责人、零售业资深人士史蒂文·戈德伯格表示：“它绝对是引领潮流的。”

　　Today, you can’t go online without bumping into a brand selling casual basics, from Uniqlo to the five different no-name brands that keep advertising⁷ “the perfect tank top” on your Instagram feed.

　　现在，只要你一上网，就会碰到一些卖休闲基本款的品牌，比如优衣库或者其他无名品牌，它们一直在你的Instagram上为“完美背心”打广告。

　　In the 80s, though, the revamped Gap had little competition.

　　然而，在80年代，改良后的Gap几乎没有竞争对手。

　　When I asked Cohen, the Columbia Business School professor, who it was going up against, he answered with one word: “Nobody”.

　　当我问哥伦比亚大学商学院教授科恩，它的对手是谁时，他回答：“没人”。

　　Gap clothes struck a balance of being stylish⁸ but not intimidating⁹, affordable¹⁰ but good quality.

　　Gap服装在时尚但不古怪吓人、价格实惠又质量上乘之间取得了平衡。

　　The brand fit with an increasingly relaxed clothes culture, and when many American workplaces adopted the practice of “Casual Fridays” in the 90s, Gap was right there with an armful of khakis.

　　该品牌与日益宽松的服装文化相契合，当九十年代许多美国工作场所采用“便装星期五”的做法时，Gap就抱着一大堆卡其裤了。

1 bazaar   

n.集市，商店集中区

参考例句：

• Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上，鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
• We bargained for a beautiful rug in the bazaar.我们在集市通过讨价还价买到了一条很漂亮的地毯。

2 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

4 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

5 buffets   

（火车站的）饮食柜台( buffet的名词复数 )； （火车的）餐车； 自助餐

参考例句：

• All life's buffets should be met with dignity and good sense. 所有人生之打击都应以尊严和理智对付之。
• In addition to buffets, American families enjoy picnics and barbeques. 除自助餐外，美国家庭还喜欢野餐和户外烧烤餐。

6 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

7 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

8 stylish   

adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的

参考例句：

• He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
• What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。

9 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

10 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。