We went back through the tall sections at Old Navy, Gap, Athleta and J.Crew this morning to see what moved since August 27. Two of the four stores changed enough to be worth acting on, and the other two held roughly where they were.
| Store | Share of tall styles on sale | Typical discount |
|---|---|---|
| Old Navy | 75% | 40% off |
| Gap | 80% | 40% off |
| Athleta | 70% | 30% off |
| J.Crew | 70% | 30% off |
Athleta widened its promo instead of rotating it
Last week we described Athleta’s 30% off promotion as a rotating one: the same discount landing on a different set of styles each week, with the previous round going back to full price. We said a discount that had just disappeared would probably show up again on something else within a week or two.
The promotion widened instead. Athleta’s tall sale went from about 40% of the store to almost 70%, the biggest single move any of these four stores has made in a week, and a second discount rate appeared alongside the familiar 30%. A large share of the store now sits at 40% off.
The fall collection is where that lands. The Skyline Zip Pant was full price at $149 six days ago and is $89 today at 40% off, with the complete tall 0 to 16 run in all three colors. The Skyline Barrel in Savanna and Jungle came down from $139 to $83 with the same full run. Details in our Athleta report.
Last week’s Athleta pick improved rather than expiring. The Elation Ultra High Rise 7/8 Legging we flagged at $62 is $53 now, the same garment moved from 30% off to 40%.
J.Crew put its tall dresses back
For three weeks running we reported J.Crew’s tall selection getting smaller, and last week we said to treat anything still listed as inventory that could be gone by the next check.
It went the other way. A batch of tall styles that were missing last week is listed again, and the returns are concentrated in dresses and jumpsuits, which is the category that had emptied out. Most are marked down between 55% and 75% off. Every one of them carries a review count, so these are styles J.Crew already sold coming back on restock rather than fresh product.
The catch is size. Most of the returning dresses came back with one or two sizes on the page. Details in our J.Crew report.
That call was wrong in a useful direction. A J.Crew tall style disappearing can mean it comes back in six days, cheaper, with fewer sizes available.
Old Navy is sitting still
Old Navy’s tall sale share held around 75%, and almost nothing changed underneath it. A handful of styles went back to full price and a few dozen were newly marked down, against several hundred moving in each direction the week before. Since the sitewide event ended, this store has stopped repricing.
The fall arrivals we reported going back to full price last week are still at full price, still unsold, and still carrying complete size runs.
Two categories are worth knowing about at their current prices rather than for how they moved. Tall jeans sit at a 50% typical discount with most of the category marked down, and sweatshirts are in the same place. Pajamas went the other way as the waffle-textured sets returned to full price. More in our Old Navy report.
Gap widened its denim sale
Gap’s headline held around 80% with the typical discount at 40% for a third straight check. The denim underneath changed shape: tall jeans went from about 70% of the category on sale to almost 95%, while the typical cut on those jeans settled around 40%.
More jeans are marked down, and the middle of the range is shallower than it was. The deepest tier held in specific washes with the full tall 27 to 33 run, and the $23 jeans we have now flagged three weeks running are at the same price. See what’s happening at Gap.
The four best deals standing right now
Skyline High Rise Barrel Leg Pant · Athleta, $60 (was $139), almost 60% off, tall 0 to 16, Slate, 3,429 reviews at 4.7
Fifth straight week at $60 with every numeric size in stock. This one is standing clearance rather than promotional pricing, which is why it has held through three weeks of changing promos. Savanna and Jungle are $83 at 40% off if Slate is the wrong color for you.
Extra High-Waisted Wide-Leg Jeans · Old Navy, $25 (was $50), 50% off, tall 2 to 18, eleven washes, 10,303 reviews at 4.6
Newly marked down, with the complete size run in every wash. A full-length wide leg at $25 with this many reviews behind it is the best value in this week’s set.
Endless High Rise Pant · Athleta, $65 (was $109), 40% off, tall 0 to 16, seven colors, 16,194 reviews at 4.6
The most-reviewed tall bottom at any of the four stores, 40% off across nearly the whole color range with full size runs.
Mid Rise Vintage Slim Jeans · Gap, $23 (was $80), 70% off, tall 27 to 33, Medium wash, 605 reviews at 4.4
Third straight check at $23 with the complete waist run. A discount that holds for three weeks is one the retailer intends to keep.
What this means for the next two weeks
Both of our confident calls last week turned out to be wrong, in opposite directions.
We expected Athleta’s promo to rotate onto a different set of styles, and it widened to cover most of the store at a deeper rate, so waiting paid off. We expected J.Crew inventory to keep draining, and a batch of it came back. Both stores are behaving less predictably than a simple countdown.
The practical read: Athleta’s tall sale is the widest and deepest we have seen from them, and the flat 30% and 40% rates are the part with an expiry date, so buy the promo-priced fall pieces now and take your time with the standing clearance. At J.Crew, check the returning dresses in your size first, since most came back with only one or two sizes available. At Old Navy and Gap, both stores have been repricing slowly for two weeks and nothing looks urgent.
Check the fit guides before you commit: Old Navy, Gap, Athleta and J.Crew.
Prices, sizes, and stock checked September 2, 2026 at the four stores we track. Discount figures are typical across the tall styles we looked at. Some links are affiliate links; see our disclosure.