Ann Taylor City?
November 26, 2011
I remember the Ann Taylor store at Union Station. And I remember the gorgeous black and white suit with nautical buttons and a flirty skirt. My first big girl suit purchase in a big city. It was the Spring of 1992. I was a college student spending a semester in Washington, D.C. And I needed a suit, because I was going to meet Barbara Bush.
It’s 20 years later and that Ann Taylor store is still there, at the same spot. Now, when I’m in Union Station rushing for the Acela, I cannot peer up at the second floor shop without remembering that purchase. Of course, Ann Taylor is far more ubiquitous these days….way beyond Washington, D.C.
Monica Hesse’s Washington Post Style section focus on Ann Taylor as the stalwalt of fashion — the “old faithful” of working women shopping in DC. — really nailed the reality of reliable, affordable, fashionable (but not too fashionable) working woman dressing.
Wouldn’t we all like to have a personal stylist? To appear in the pages of Capitol File? That’s likely not the reality for working moms across the region and Hesse recognizes that.
Instead, we do our best. We strive to fall somewhere in between Carrie Bradshaw and Clair Huxtable. We stretch our dollars with a little bit of fancy, a little bit of practical, a little bit of haute, and a lot of reliable. We mix in a little Nordstrom (online for me!), White House Black Market, Neiman (if we’re lucky) and yes, Ann.
The Little Story Behind the Purchase, Part I
January 12, 2011
When was the last time I really explored (let alone even wondered about) the process or story behind any of the things I consume, wear, even give? I will be the first to admit that I’ve become way too accustomed to relying on a few mass retailers for holiday (and post-Christmas sale) shopping. For me, it’s Target, Nordstrom (so much so they’ve offered me a Personal Shopper – eek!), BananaRepublic. It’s a good bet that most of what I have purchased came through mass production somewhere, likely China.
But even as I look at the full year ahead of me, as I teach my children to think about the concepts of consuming, creating, giving, I really need to do a better job myself — even if in little ways — of living an appreciation for others’ small stories which may help us to think beyond ourselves. I know of one very good place to start. It’s the retailer Ten Thousand Villages and its specific mission is to create opportunities for artisans in developing countries and connecting them to our markets in meaningful ways.
Having tried it out for Christmas, I see they also have some great post-holiday deals. I found some earrings for my Sister in Law who wanted some hoops and gifts to replenish my gift box (of things I love and want to have on hand to give as small gestures of friendship and thanks). Here are the beautifully etched earrings I found from Indonesia. They tell a story of the APIKRI artisan group, located in Indonesian cities known for craft production.
Ten Thousand Villages actually provides not only a photo of the artisans, but a bit of their stories . Even though I will never know their life, Ten Thousand Villages connects me to them in a small way, perhaps to better appreciate their human experience.
Next post… I will explore some of my other Little Finds at Ten Thousand Villages.
Tonya's Links
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Tonya is a Community Content Producer for
WUSA9.com, DC's CBS affiliate.