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1.11.2011
Emmy & Olivia Keep Warm
Our Cable Open Cardigan is a hit with celebrities! Emmy Rossum and Olivia Wilde have both been spotted wearing this cozy cable knit open-front cardigan. FabSugar spotted Emmy’s perfect Wintery casual style while the actress was at JFK Airport. Then Tron star Olivia sported hers while out and about with a copy of Jonathan Franzen’s runaway literary hit Freedom. Don’t these two startlets look so cozy on the go in their Ann Taylor?
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10.22.2010
Bookshelf
Hi my name is Aixa, I am an Art Director for the Ann Taylor creative team. I recently read Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea and fell in love with it. It’s about four upper class, educated Saudi Arabian women, in their quest for love, life and success amid the traditional religious beliefs and constrains of Arabic society.
It was refreshing for me to learn that these women who often carry the weight of prejudice and stigma are just like me. They want to spend time with their friends, they value trust, they want to find love, they want to have fun, they want to look beautiful, all the while keeping their beliefs and traditions close to their heart. The book was not without controversy despite the protagonists focus on faith as it was actually banned by religious extremists when it released in 2005.
For me, I think the lesson I got from Girls of Riyadh was that as women we share universal truths regardless of geography or religion affiliation and that life is richer when we are reminded of it…This is a must-read!
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10.7.2010
Bookshelf
Hi, my name is Julie and I am Ann’s Manager of Digital and Social Media. I am a big fan of science fiction so I am often reading the newest novel about alien civilizations or technological impossibility. That means I tend to stick with authors like Charles Stross, Neal Stephenson and WIlliam Gibson. But I recently found a book that tickled both my love for sci-fi and my inner fashionista.
It may seem strange that an author known for science fiction is currently my favorite fashion writer but William Gibson has tapped the inner workings of the garment business for inspiration in his latest novel Zero History. His best-selling novel Neuromancer is considered a breakthrough science fiction novel in a genre called “cyperpunk,” and his subsequent works focus on cyperspace and technology. But recently he has turned his focus to a fictional world set during present day that is populated by characters and scenarios that many people in the fashion industry will recognize. From a Parisian vintage textile market, and underground “street brands” to trend hunters and models with musician boyfriends the many tropes of the fashion world are explored in this thriller about an a female indie rocker that is enlisted by an outsized creative director named Bigend to track down the designer of a hot denim label called Gabriel Hounds.
From there you are taken on a suspense-filled ride through London that as best I can describe is where the fashion industry meets military contracting. It is a fun and fascinating read that I would recommend to anyone with an interest in fashion. It also holds its own as a great spy like thriller in the vein of Robert Ludlum so ladies if you ever wanted to get your boyfriend or husband interested in the world of fashion, this novel might do the trick. Frankly I wasn’t able to put it down! I tucked it into my handbag and carried it with me an entire week.
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9.24.2010
Bookshelf
Hi, my name is Marilyn and I work in the Ann Taylor Design Department. I absolutely love books and I can’t resist popping into a library if I walk by; I always keep a book or two at close reach…my focus right now is on a beautiful photography book, “Bad Behavior” by legendary photographer and film maker Bill Hayward. Bill’s a friend (the photo on the left is my personal autographed copy) and I thought I’d revisit this spellbinding book.Bad Behavior is a radical new approach to portraiture, rather than photographing traditionally against a neutral back drop, Bill invites his subjects to fully participate in the creation of their portraits by inviting or as Bill likes to say giving them “permission” to transform the back drop to express themselves in any way they wish; armed with paint, brush and scissor, the results are quite fascinating and amusing. The subjects are luminaries in various creative fields. The photography is captivating. It’s a fixture on my coffee table and at any given time I pick it up, I feel completely inspired!
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9.17.2010
Bookshelf
We recently read Save The Assistants by Lilit Marcus and fell in love with this practical guide for young professionals.Lilit started SaveTheAssistants.com as a destination for young men and women just getting started at their first jobs or internships. It turned into a popular website know for its sound advice and hilarious workplace anecdotes so it is little surprise that the book is just as engaging as the original blog.
Alexandra Levit author of They Don’t Teach Corporate in College has this to say about the book.
“Lilit Marcus has written perhaps the only career book that’s so fun it can actually double as a beach read. Chock full of pop culture references and caricatures that will make you laugh out loud, Save the Assistants also gets down to business with its no-nonsense advice for making the best of your entry-level tenure. Marcus’ popular online community—and now her book of the same name—has transformed being an assistant into an exclusive rite of passage.”
Obviously we spend a lot of time thinking about working women here at Ann Taylor. So we were thrilled to send Lilit a few outfits to help her look her best for her book tour. She picked out a striped shirts as well as one of our ever popular shirt dresses.
With her advice and a great outfit we are confident any ambitious young woman can achieve her professional goals.
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9.10.2010
Bookshelf
Hi! I’m Arlena and I am Public Relations Manager at Ann Taylor. Each week associates will be letting you know what they have been reading in our Bookshelf series. Last week Amy our Senior Editorial Director reviewed The Selby’s new book. What’s on my shelf? A lot recently since I have been putting off my summer reading list due to endless hours spent planning events at Ann Taylor and practicing yoga on the Lower East Side.
Last weekend, I walked into Barnes & Noble and decided to pick up yet another book to add to my dusty collection. I went for The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, a book that a dear friend recommended to me a few years back, thinking it would for sure sit sadly just waiting to be read like the others on my many shelves in my already too crowded New York apartment.
Not thinking I would find or be able to make the time to read it just yet, I set my eyes on the first page and am now (two days later) on pg. 228. Just 86 more to go! Although I’m not sure I want to finish it just yet. It definitely made the commute on the packed F train somewhat bearable this morning.
The book which is a story about a Czech couple, how they relate to each other, their respective lovers and a few others during the years of the Russian invasion in Prague, was written in 1982 (coincidentally the year I was born). And although it takes place towards the end of the 1960s, the book still feels relevant and timely. Kundera, a true intellectual, has succeeded in making me question my daily actions, those of others and how significant or insignificant our existence really is.
I don’t mean to sound dark, but these questions these things seems to be something people in their late twenties often ruminate on as we think about what has weight in our life.
On that note, I’ll retreat to reading a little more of my book and hopefully drawing a new and dynamic conclusion on my thoughts about life, my existence, our actions and their lightness or weight. -
9.3.2010
Bookshelf
Hi, I’m Amy! As the Senior Editorial Director at Ann Taylor, I am always reading. At any given time I have two or three books/magazines going at once: one for the subway ride, one at my bedside and one gratuitous coffee table book that I like to peruse at my leisure. This month, that ‘leisure-time book’ is more of a picture book and is truly captivating me, as I am currently in the midst of renovations on my tiny Brooklyn home. The Selby is in Your Place is by Todd Selby, a photographer and illustrator with a very particular eye.
In his gorgeous book, he gives us a glimpse into how the creative world lives by calling on his eclectic mix of friends and photographing their homes or creative spaces. The pages are filled with endless design inspiration because of what he chooses to photograph. His incredible eye for detail leads him into the very smallest spaces or the most interesting design moments that might otherwise go unnoticed—but that end up revealing so much about the subject—like the carefully curated shelf of vintage toys in a baby’s room or jars upon jars of gorgeous ingredients at a brother-owned chocolate factory. Every image feels special…almost like you’re being let in on a secret. I have a majority of the pages tagged with MUST-DO’s for my own home! You can buy the book at Amazon.com or sign up for weekly updates (and see all the other amazing stuff he is working on) at theselby.com.
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8.10.2010
An American In Paris
For the fall 2010 collection, our design team was inspired by American writers and artists (think Edith Wharton, Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald) living a bohemian lifestyle in Paris. In fact. Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast was spotted on the desks of many of our designers while we were creating the fall collection. We loved the idea of mixing European sophistication with timeless American style.
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