It’s not everyday that the no. 24 online retailer releases a new site, but today is that day. Gap Inc. is testing a new shoe site, Piperlime.com, and will officially launch it on Nov. 1, just in time for the holiday rush, according to the LA Times.

Online footwear is growing rapidly. And it is so complementary with apparel,” said Toby Lenk, president of Gap Direct, the company’s online division. “It’s like peas and carrots. Apparel sells footwear, and footwear sells apparel.

Gap found that the online shoe buying experience is fragmented and utilitarian, according to the article. This will be an important litmus test to see if customers choose the smaller, edited selection at Piperlime or stick with the “everything on the planet” approach Zappos.com takes. To differentiate themselves they are having celebrity editors select their favorite shoes from the catalog. The first is Rachel Zoe, described by Piperlime as the “hottest stylist in Hollywood right now.”

The site is built on the Gap ecommerce platform, already used by Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy. This means it shares the same layout and features as the existing sites, including the “quick look” feature which allows customers to view product information and add the product to their cart from the category page.

The website is “a real cheap way to get some revenue and customers into the door,” Edwards [portfolio manager and retail analyst at Wentworth, Hauser & Violich in Seattle] said, but it’s not the right time for Gap to take its eye off its core business. She pointed to once highflying Chico’s FASInc., whose sales at its namesake stores have stalled because of what she believes is overexpansion in other store concepts.

Gap, which rebuilt its e-commerce platform last year, generated sales of about $600 million in 2005, making it the biggest specialty apparel chain online, according to Internet Retailer magazine. For the first half of fiscal 2006, which ended July 29, Gap’s online sales growth averaged 21%.