Contrary to popular belief, there is no female designer named Ann Taylor, and so the brand is not named after a female designer. Instead, the name comes from a style of dress called the “Ann Taylor.”

It was a popular selling dress in Richard Liebskind father’s store, which where the name Ann Taylor came from when he opened his first store in 1954 in New Haven, Connecticut. The father’s gift to his son was that popular selling dress and the name, Ann Taylor, both of which he considered to be good luck. Richard decided the name would work and not just because it would be “good luck.”

Ann was a name that was quite representative of the New England area, and Taylor worked well for representing well-tailored clothing. From there a classic women’s apparel line was born, and by 1983 the name brand store had grown from the regional brand to a national one. This also meant there were a total of 47 stores across the United States.

However the growth from that point on came in leaps and bounds. The company officially changed from Ann Taylor Stores Corporation to Ann Inc. in 2011. As of the year 2012, the store count for the brand was at 981, which included all of their different types of stores such as:

Ann Taylor Stores
Ann Taylor Factory Stores
LOFT Stores
LOFT Outlet Stores
AnnTaylor.com
LOFT.com

Divisions & Collections

As most companies that manage to survive the test of time for a long duration, Ann Inc. has done its share of creating divisions and collections that help grow the company. Aside from the original Ann Taylor name, professional clothing geared towards business women, LOFT was another major division for the company.

Started in 1996, LOFT was meant to appeal to women who were looking for something slightly more casual to wear to work and for personal wear. The line of clothing has attracted a younger market, as well. The lower price point helps to attract a market of shoppers whom could not afford full price Ann Taylor clothing. Both Ann Taylor and LOFT now also have their own factory outlet store locations too.

As far as collections go, these enable the brand to offer something that branches off from the original Ann Taylor look while retaining the same level of “better” fashion standards. Some of the collections from Ann Taylor include:

Ann Taylor Celebrations -- Although now only available online, the Ann Taylor Celebrations line was launched in 2005. The intended market was women looking for attire appropriate for weddings, black tie events and other celebrations.
Ann Taylor Collections -- Launched in 2007, this line of Ann Taylor products is also crafted from only the finest of Italian fabrics, leathers and yarns. The price point for Ann Taylor Collections is slightly elevated compared to standard Ann Taylor products.
Ann Taylor Beauty -- Also part of the changes in 2007, Ann Taylor Beauty includes products such as body wash, lotions and perfumes, just to name a few.
LOFT Maternity -- Also created in 2007 and also only available online at this time, LOFT Maternity was geared towards women who wanted to look fashionable while pregnant.

So as of right now, Ann Taylor covers 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rica as well as Canada. Not to mention that both Ann Taylor and LOFT are available to more than 100 countries through online shopping.

Shopping the Brand

What you get from Ann Taylor depends on what you are looking for. The brand covers a wide variety of products including but not limited to:

Blouses & Tops
Knits & Tees
Sweaters
Dresses
Suits
Pants
Shorts
Skirts
Jackets
Denim
Swim
And more

Not to mention shoppers can also browse categories such as:

Apparel
Shoes
Accessories
Petites
Tall
Weddings & Events
Lookbook
New Arrivals
Must Haves
Plus plenty more

Whatever you are looking for you should be able to find it at Ann Taylor. In fact, even within each of these categories, shoppers will find more choices. Accessories for example, also includes subdivisions such as:

Jewelry
Scarves
Handbags
Belts
Spanx
Intimates
Legwear
Plus more

If the look you are going for is polished, refined and classic while still on the cutting edge of fashion, Ann Taylor offers the right look for you.

Finding a Better Bargain

For some shoppers, the only way to shop is to get the best deals possible via outlet mall shopping. Outlet mall shopping centers have come a long way in even the past decade plus. Many high end outlet factory store centers carry only the finest brands but offer shoppers discounted merchandise.

Both Ann Taylor and LOFT offer factory stores for their brand loyal customers. Outlets often carry past season merchandise or merchandise that may be kept out of full retail for a seemingly unimportant detail such as the final color not matching exactly the color the designer had in mind.

Factory stores have also become popular for brands to design clothing lines for separately. You get the same high quality of design, materials and styles but at a discounted price. This makes brands more accessible to a wider array of shoppers.

Ann Taylor Factory Stores are available at numerous Tanger Outlet, Premium Outlet and other outlet mall locations. Some of these locations are mentioned below, but please keep in mind this is only a small sample of the listing of all the Ann Taylor Factory Store locations available:

Albertville Premium Outlets in Albertville, MN
Chicago Premium Outlets located in Aurora, IL
Foley, Alabama Tanger Outlet
Gilroy Premium Outlets in Gilroy, CA
Orlando Premium Outlets near Walt Disney World in Florida
Tanger Outlets of Sevierville, TN
Tanger Outlets of Hershey, PA

When it comes to getting the best in fine women’s clothing, there just isn’t a name that cultivates this quite the same way Ann Taylor does.