The Case for Boring Office Clothes
Women frown on the Ann Taylor aesthetic, but there’s an upside to basic.
A recent Saturday Night Live sketch featured a parody store called Fashion Coward, “the only store for people who hate shopping and feel lost and scared.” Contrasting its neutral cardigans with the edgy jackets worn by the truly fashionable, the fake commercial proudly announced that “we keep it safe with things like ‘brown sweater’ and ‘pants for the legs.’” At one point, the actor Emma Stone, playing a customer, says that if fashion tells a story, Fashion Coward’s is, “I’m a stranger to myself.” The end of the skit reveals Fashion Coward’s inspiration: Ann Taylor.
Ann Taylor, the tried-and-true, white-collar, upon signing their lease. I regularly see women wearing the exact same outfit on the metro.
