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4.18.2011
Ann@Work
Hello! My name is La’Zette and I am the Director of Client Experience and Store Communications for Ann Taylor. I am excited to be part of this brand during this amazing evolution. Having the best of both worlds, I work closely with the Home Office and Store Stylists to bring the brand to life for our clients.
I attend meetings with Design, Merchants, Visual and Creative to understand the upcoming collection. This will entail product presentations, key trend and fit discussions as well as see the visual and creative elements that will enhance the store environment. From there, it is my job to bring that information to the stores in a compelling, empowering and inspiring way. I do this by creating education tools such as magazines and videos to bring it to life. Educating them on the design inspiration, fit and quality of the clothing is very important and ensures that they feel confident engaging our clients. Which leads to the client experience.
Client experience the essence of who we are, and at Ann Taylor – We Are Ann. It is our goal to inspire and connect with women to put their best selves forward every day. In my role, I do that by teaching the stylists how to engage and connect with our clients. Whether it is in the welcome, while on the floor, or in the styling room, it is important for us to be there for our clients – she is a friend that we could not wait to see and don’t want to leave!!!
In addition, I manage Store Communications. I get to partner with Marketing, Visual, Operations, Human Resources, Facilities – just about everyone to provide information to the Field. We have this awesome internal system called AT Web where we are able to communicate to the stores by providing all they need to run their business efficiently every day. Also, our stylists stay connected to us by using our internal blog sharing their thoughts, ideas and concerns. This level of engagement is so important to our stylists and provides a forum for them to express themselves.
I really enjoy my job and every day presents new challenges that keep it exciting. Not to mention, I wear and LOVE the clothes myself. I remember shopping at Ann Taylor with my mother and love how it continues to be relevant for all generations and has evolved with modern women today. I look forward to the Ann Taylor of tomorrow where my three little girls will also look and feel good! Until then, I will!!
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4.11.2011
Ann@Work
Hi! My name is Jessica and I work in Sourcing, also known as product development and production. I’m the senior manager for cut and sew knits and knit dressing. In the simplest terms we aide our fabulous design team in developing the fabric and styles at the cost merchants need and then we get the styles to the distribution center to be then shipped to the stores.
A typical day in my work life starts at 8:30 with 100 or so e-mails from our partners in Asia. These e-mail have everything in them from late deliveries, costing callouts, fabric issues, new design inspiration ideas. It’s mine and my team’s job to prioritize what the ‘biggest fire” is and put that out first. We really spend most of the day problem solving issues so the customer gets an Ann Taylor quality product!
Right now my team and I are working in 5 seasons, finishing up getting our Summer collection on a boat, finalizing all the details and costing for Fall, and starting to finalize the line for our winter and holiday collection. We are also sending our fabric requests and style requests for spring 2012 for initial samples, and just starting to work on summer 2012 concept!. This all takes place before our day ends.
I’m lucky enough to get to travel overseas and work with our partners in Asia. Here you can see me with Shadow our production partner in Hong Kong! They really work hard to help us get a great product in the store. On our trips overseas we often review our samples to make sure they look good (no one wants a baggy purple top w/ orange sequins) or we review costing, go on factory tours and discuss current economic trends. Right now the hot topic is raw material pricing! Cotton demand is up, gas prices are up, and with the natural disasters in Japan, all these trends and issues are huge factors in the global economy.
I find working on a new season to be so exciting. There are so many fabrics to look at and new innovation… anything is possible! I also love working on cost negotiations, and trying to get the best price so we can offer the lowest retail to our customer. It’s the biggest reward for me to see a beautiful style in the store and know I worked really hard to get it there.. and then when it sells out it gets even better! I feel like GO TEAM GO!!!
Every day in our jobs we put the client first from the initial fabric swatch chosen to the last fit and trim confirmation for the styles. We all want to make something we are proud of, and hold true to our great American brand. There is a lot of love in knit tops, and I hope everyone LOVES them. I hope every women feels good in our tops and shares my passion for fashion.
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4.6.2011
Our April Store Inspirations
Our April collection has arrived in stores and online! We asked our visual merchandising team to share their inspiration for the look and feel of our April windows and store visuals.
“The concept for the April “Store Set” windows was Graphically Organic – creating a strong graphic composition with organic materials - flowers. Balancing femininity through the flowers with the boldness of the stripe. The colors and stripes you see in our store visually elements closely tie to the April Collection – a modern interpretation of all American dressing, navy and white stripes.
We chose garden roses and peonies and had them interpreted by a paper artist. The flowers are hand made from 3 different paper weights in a combination of matte and shiny papers in a myriad of sizes. You can see in this inspiration board that they are realized in a beautiful shade of blue.
The white rocks tie back to classic American seaside resorts and a nod to the nautical inspiration and add tension with the juxtaposition of smooth and polished hard surface against the lighteness of the paper flowers.” - Vice President of Visual Merchandising Frankie
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4.4.2011
Ann@Work
My name is Alex and I’m the art buyer and photo shoot producer for Ann Taylor. I work on the creative marketing team here at Ann. I’m in charge of casting the models and sourcing and hiring all of the talent (photographers, hair/makeup artists, set designer, etc) for the photo shoots. I also manage the celebrity casting process for our advertising campaigns.
My day to day working life can vary. Sometimes I’m on set at a shoot organizing a team of 20+ people, and making sure that everyone is working towards the same goal. Sometimes I’m at the office doing research to help the creative directors develop the concepts for our shoots. Other times, I’m going out for meetings with photographer and model agents to see the new talent that they represent.
I love what I do, and very much look forward to coming to work every day. Since I was young, I have been reading fashion magazines and taking notice of all of the incredible people that come together to make beautiful imagery. Now I get to work with a lot of those people I had always dreamed of meeting!
Some of my favorite moments here at Ann Taylor include shooting with photographer Peter Lindbergh and model/actress Milla Jovovich, who had an amazing energy and rapport, and also getting to work with supermodel Angela Lindvall who I goofed around with on the set of our spring look book pictured here! Enjoy reading about what I do at Ann Taylor? Check out our other Ann@Work posts to meet more of our team.
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3.28.2011
Ann@Work
“Hi! My name is Erin and I am Ann Taylor’s Sweater Merchant. I knew from the time I was 15 years old that I was meant to work in the fashion industry. I’m from a small town in Delaware, but fell in love with New York City, high fashion, and a fast paced lifestyle at a young age.
The thing I love about merchandising is that it’s the perfect mix of product, numbers, and people. Merchants act as the connector between the creative and financial sides of the business, and ultimately represent the voice of the client. I absolutely love my job and could never imagine doing anything else!
There is never a typical day in merchandising. On any given day you could find me building the line with my design and sourcing counterparts, learning about the competition and product trends in the designer market, analyzing selling reports to learn from our hits and misses, reading through customer feedback, or working through financials in order to actually buy the line.
Working for Ann Taylor has been an amazing experience. It’s an inspiration to be part of a brand with such a long history of dressing women to look and feel their best - no matter where life may take them. Seeing clients buying and wearing our sweaters is definitely the most rewarding part of the job. I’m proud to not only merchandise our clothes, but wear them too!”
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3.21.2011
Ann@Work
Hi! My name is Greta and I am Ann Taylor’s Associate Suit Designer. Suits may not be the most flashy category on the floor, and some might think designing something that can be conservative season after season would get dull, but I think it’s just the opposite! It’s profoundly inspiring to work on something that is a hallmark of the Ann Taylor brand.
Our customer needs something classic but she’s also looking for diversity and excitement. The 21st century woman doesn’t want her mom’s suit. To me, the beauty of designing suits is the challenge of interpreting those needs in a way that is subtle, feminine, refined, and cognizant of our customer’s high taste level and attention to detail.
My daily responsibilities vary – on any given day I could be sketching and setting up technical packages, working with in-house patternmakers on muslins, collaborating with my merchant and production partners, attending fittings or concept meetings, helping to pull new fabrics or working with the rest of the team to build the line. I love playing with beautiful fabrics and tweaking traditional interior details in our suit jackets. Presenting new sketches each season is nerve wracking but really exciting! The best part, without a doubt, is seeing those sketches come to life – getting new samples in is like having Christmas every season, and seeing it on our customer is even more exciting!
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2.9.2011
Shopping Spree
Our spring line is beginning to arrive in stores in the coming weeks and we couldn’t be more excited. Our public relations team has picked a few key items from the new season to share with professional women we admire. It may be February but the floor of their area looks Christmas came early!
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11.9.2010
Ann@Work
Hi! My name is Elizabeth and I am a senior designer for sportswear at Ann Taylor. I am excited to be part of Ann Taylor’s evolution into the new decade! I am passionate about designing artisanal, timeless clothing for the Ann Taylor client. Ann Taylor embraces all women and their aspirations and lifestyles. Our clothes are modern, spirited and reflect our client’s multifaceted life style and it excites me to design for a client so multidimensional! She is intelligent and inspiring on all levels, a modern day icon.
My background consists of women’s ready-to-wear apparel. I began designing clothes at the age of 14 and studied fashion design at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, attaining a BA in Knitwear, Sportswear and later a MA in Illustration. The illustration here is one of my own sportswear designs!
Designing is a true passion of mine and I find inspiration in it each day. Ann Taylor’s design headquarters are situated at center of Times Square, New York City and I find it fuels everything I design and do on a daily basis. I want our clients to look and feel glorious whether they are having caviar or pizza, hailing a taxi or getting into a limousine, putting their best foot forward. That on-the-go, day to night, casual to chic lifestyle you find in a bustling city helps me dream up Ann Taylor style.
For me, design is an expressive endeavor that touches clients’ lives. At Ann Taylor, we strive to provide essential staples that will become classics. I am extremely excited to be part of such a diverse group of talented collaborative people. I love to design clothing which encompasses classic, chic, luxurious but sensible aesthetic on All-American Sportswear. Clothes are powerful elements that build a women’s persona. They can create confidence, delight, and mystery! And I hope to bring each client some joyous spirit into their lives.
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11.3.2010
Ann@Work
Hi!! My name is Gabrielle and I’m the newbie to our accessories team of three. I design leather goods: shoes, belts, and am beginning to learn the ways of the handbag world. I love designing shoes and have a current obsession with any pair that are metallic gold or silver.
For me, it’s never your typical day at the office - from going to shoe fittings where we’re making sure our booties fit just right, to sitting on the floor looking through leather swatches for the perfect new shade of red for the next season’s product. I also have an amazing team, and while we’re small, they are a huge part of why I love coming to work every day.
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10.22.2010
Ann@Work
Ann Taylor is opening our second concept store in Seattle at Bellevue Square this October. We asked the Bellevue team to tell us a little bit about work and play in Seattle!
What is it like to work at the Bellevue Square Ann Taylor? We focus on the client experience from head-to-toe. With the assistance of our head stylist Delan (pictured here) and the rest of the wonderful team of in-store stylists we are focused on making Ann clients feel and look beautiful. Our team is passionate about helping our clients find exactly what they need to update their closets and to be trend right-for every season. Simple suggestions can be the most powerful and our team loves to discuss style, fabric and fit that sets the pieces in our store apart. The team is focused on a few must-haves for this season including a perfect winter coat, slim leg pant, the silk shell and a great bootie to name a few.
The team in Bellevue Washington is overjoyed to be the second new concept store and we can’t wait to express our gratitude by by inspiring and connecting with the women of Washington to create a special, memorable experience.
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