Monday, June 4, 2012

Ann Taylor's Dress And Bag


In my previous post, I mentioned that I recently went shopping with my friend and that we stopped at Ann Taylor to look for some dresses and tops for her. I used to really like Ann Taylor. Especially their tops, because they fit me very well. I think they are cut for more-curvy-on-top women and I could actually button down their shirts and keep them buttoned all day without popping the buttons, yay! 

I own quite a lot of clothes from AT: dresses, shirts, tops, skirts, pants and sweaters. However, in the recent years, I shopped there much less. They were using more synthetics in their fabrics and their colors were rather boring, but of course the main reason I stopped shopping there, was because I never had any money left, after overdosing on crewlade.

That day, I was not supposed to shop for myself and I have been very good about it, focusing on my friend and her style and needs. But as she was trying tons of things and modeling them for me, I spotted this one dress that I just had to try on.   


Ann Taylor dress


I judged the size of the dress on the hanger and I grabbed a size 6, which turned out to be a perfect fit.

Size 6
After trying on so many ill fitting, high waisted, too short, too juvenile dresses at J.Crew I almost forgot how a great fitting dress can look and feel.

The piping and seeming falls in just the right places on me and the dress has a slimming effect. I think it looks even better IRL.


I love the linen blend fabric and the dress feels very comfortable. The color is very neutral, which makes it perfect for the office but the piping adds the structure and interest and the black makes it sharper looking and stylish. It looks good by itself or with a cardigan or a blazer.  You can wear it with a belt, lik ethey have it styled in the top picture (an dthey have the same styling in store), but I think it actually looks great without the belt, but I do like to add a necklace. It is a super easy, effortless outfit, just add some black sandals.

The price is $148, which is not cheap but with some 30% that they run frequently (or $50 off $100),  it is very reasonable, imo.

You can also check the reviews on the website (of course they have reviews, not like one other retailer we know) and they are very enthusiastic, so I guess I am not the only one who likes it.

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Another product that caught my attention was this little purse:


Perforated Leather Mini Bag

They also have it in tote and clutch version, both look pretty, but I only saw the Mini Bag IRL. It is not that small btw, it should easily hold all your essentials and it is bigger that say Tillary purse.

If I needed a neutral bag for the summer I would love to get this one. I only saw it on the shelf and I did not touch it (why???) or  check on the compartments and such.  Really, it is too bad, but I promise I will do it for sure if I am near a store again. The color and leather looked great irl, rather luxurious in fact. Overall I think the price is not bad, especially with a discount.This would be a perfect bag to wear with the whites this summer!

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That's all folks!

Do you ever shop at Ann Taylor?
Have you seen anything there that you like?
What do you think of the dress and/or the purse?

Please share, it would be no fun without you!!!

24 comments:

  1. That dress.... it is absolutely gorgeous on you! Might have to check that one out myself it I can make it to Ann Taylor this weekend

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    1. Thank you Allison, please let us know if you like it if you try it.

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  2. Great choices! That dress is fabulous. Classic but still interesting, and it fits really well. I am glad to see AT doing something besides the neons they'd done earlier this spring.

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    1. They did have quite a lot of neon as well.

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  3. That bag is stunning and the lines on the dress work really well with your curves, and the length is perfect, why aren't there more dresses like that around?

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    1. I agree, more dresses for women please, why is everything so juvenile looking?

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  4. I saw that dress online and loved it too; it looks like it fits wonderfully. I also like Ann Taylor and Loft but like you, spend all my money at J. Crew and then have nothing left over! Haha. I like that the Ann Taylor stores have a more lady-like, sophisticated aesthetic. J. Crew at times seems bound by its preppy heritage to stick to a *simple* look - straight, blocky shoulder straps on dresses, nothing too girly or subtle, etc.

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    1. You are right life as a cat. I should definitely save money and do more of a comparison shopping.

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  5. that dress is perfect on you! i love the lines. and i too wonder why they don't make more dresses like this. i hope you bought it. i'm going to email this to my friend karen (who i help with her wardrobe) who i just know will get this. thanks!!!

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    1. Thanks Janet, I hope your friend likes it, it is a great dress. I did buy it with a $50 off deal.

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  6. You look fabulous in that dress!! And what a cute bag. I've been looking for a light colored neutral. Thanks for the tip.

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    1. I love this bag and I regret that I did not inspect it closer.

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  7. I love this dress on you. Ann Taylor knows how to flatter real bodies and they've really come on strong in the past couple years. My biggest complaint, and the reason I don't shop there much, is all the polyester and synthetics you mentioned. Sure, I love that one of my most flattering dresses is machine washable, but it doesn't feel as nice to the touch.

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    1. I hate all those man made fabric but the blends are ok most of the time. This one feels very good on, it is 58% linen.

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  8. I was never a big AT fan and only recently have paid them any attention, but they definitely have it now a days.
    That dress looks freakin fantastic on you!! AT can really knock it out of park with some of their dresses. I'm actually wearing a dress from there today and was able to score it during one of those great sales.

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    1. They have great sales and I love that they have reviews. Not everything is great and some of their offering is a bit boring but they know how to flatter some curves and I like their less pretentious marketing. I love the orange dress that Kate Hudson is wearing in the sale campain but I do not see it on the website :(

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  9. This dress is perfect and might I say very slimming . I can see you wearing to work and out to dinner. Unfortunately we don't have Ann Taylor stores in Canada and they won't ship North.

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    1. Too bad they don;t ship to Canada, I did not realize that. They better think of getting a piece of that market sooner rather than later.

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  10. I haven't shopped at AT in months since a bad online experience, but I've always found their styles very work-appropriate without being stuffy or seeming "old." The fit of that dress is very flattering you!

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    1. Thanks Lisa, I agree, where they lackm is the more casual wear. What they offer is rather uninspiring, they are much better in wear-to-work area.

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  11. WOW that dress looks GREAT on you. I agree that JC dresses are too young and soooooooo short. Thanks for the reviews!

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  12. I adore that dress on you. Hope you got it. And yes, it's so refreshing after seeing so many high waist dresses from the crew.

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