Today we’re starting a new series: stores like X. Whether you’d prefer a different size range, something more affordable (or are ready for something more expensive)… this should hopefully be a good guide for you. Readers, what do you think are the best stores like Ann Taylor?
related: The Ultimate Guide to Business Casual
Quick Picks: The Best Stores Like Ann Taylor
More Affordable: Halogen, J.Crew Factory, Quince
Similarly Priced: Boden, J.Crew, Hobbs, Talbots, White House Black Market
Higher Quality Alternatives: Brooks Brothers, BOSS, The Fold, M.M.LaFleur, Reiss, Theory, Veronica Beard
Luxury: Akris, Another Tomorrow, Joseph, Max Mara, Lafayette 148 New York
Why People Love Ann Taylor
There’s a lot to love about Ann Taylor itself, though, and we’ve done an entire roundup of what to buy at Ann Taylor. They offer polished, feminine workwear. They have an extremely reliable section with basic suits in classic cuts, as well as seasonal and trendy suits in fun colors, fabrics, and trendy cuts. Most of their suits are machine washable. In terms of sizes, while they don’t have a plus size section, they’re one of the very few spots with petites that go to size 18.
The brand is also known for frequent sales, and this store is a great one if you want to build a capsule wardrobe with repeating colors because they often have a LOT of matching pieces in blouses, T-shirts, sweaters, pants, blazers, dresses, and more. They also have their eye on a lot of the best office-appropriate trends, and with their really affordable pricepoint they’re a great way to try the trends.
Some of readers’ latest favorite Ann Taylor items include these specific items — readers also love their petite section, as well as curvy options for their pants (and their general 00-18 size range across all sections).
Machine Washable Pullover
Great Blazer for a Separate
Seasonless, Classic suiting
The Perfect Shirt
(All price ranges are based on a frequently updated spreadsheet I maintain comparing different suiting brands. This list includes both retailers and clothing brands. For brands sold at multiple stores, I’ve linked to the retailer I’d recommend shopping first.)
The Best Affordable Stores Like Ann Taylor
Ann Taylor is one of the more affordable options out there when you factor in their frequent sales; you can also find the Ann Taylor Factory Store at a number of outlet malls. (Sadly, they are not online anymore.) Their sister brand Loft is also definitely worth checking! (They only sometimes have suiting pieces, but they are a good source for curvy cuts and petites.) That said, if you’re looking for more affordable stores that are like Ann Taylor:
If you’re looking for…
Natural fibers in neutral colors: Quince
Preppier classics: J.Crew Factory, Lands’ End, Vince Camuto
More minimalist: Banana Republic Factory, Everlane, Quince
More trend-driven pieces: Halogen, Abercrombie
More feminine cuts: CeCe, Express, Eloquii (plus)
Extended sizing: Lane Bryant, Eloquii, J.Crew Factory
Classic department-store workwear: Anne Klein, Aqua, Kasper, Tahari
If your wardrobe is more WFH than boardroom: J.Jill, Caslon
Halogen, a Nordstrom house brand, is a long-running reader favorite — for years readers loved a Halogen skirt so much it was more or less just referred to around these parts as “The Skirt.” Sadly it isn’t sold anymore — Halogen sometimes has suits, and this cap-sleeve blouse has been a reader favorite.
J.Crew Factory is J.Crew’s sister brand and tends to have bright, preppy clothes for work and the weekend. Readers have loved their sweater blazer and their popover blouses in general, and you can sometimes find suiting there as well. They also have petites, tall sizes, and often carry up to a size 3X.
Quince tends to have minimalist work clothes in neutral colors and natural fibers. Their cuts tend to be a lot boxier than Ann Taylor, and they don’t have anywhere near the colors and prints that Ann Taylor does. Still, readers have liked their basics like silk blouses, sweater tees, and this great work dress with pockets. They also have a very limited suiting section and section for plus sizes. Some of their pants offer different lengths, too.
The Best Stores like Ann Taylor at a Similar Price
If you’re looking for:
Natural fibers in neutral colors: Lilysilk
Preppier classics: J.Crew, Boden, Talbots
More minimalist: COS, Modern Citizen, Banana Republic, Aritzia, Spanx, Club Monaco
More trend-driven pieces: Sezane, Favorite Daughter, Mango
More feminine cuts: White House Black Market, Reformation
Extended sizing: Universal Standard, Spanx, J.Crew, Lauren Ralph Lauren
Classic department-store workwear: Nordstrom,
If your wardrobe is more WFH than boardroom: Madewell, AllSaints, Spanx
Boden is a big reader favorite — this British brand can sometimes feel a bit more expensive because they don’t have frequent big sales. Readers love this blazer, these dresses, and their double-layer line of tees. Boden is a bit unusual in that they either offer suiting in really neutral colors (black, navy) or bold, bombastic colors and patterns. They also come in petites (and you can sometimes find the brand at Nordstrom). If you’re thrifting, look for the beloved (and retired) Ravello blouse.
J.Crew is one of the obvious ones — the stores even tend to be physically located near each other. They also have petite sizes. Readers love their sweater blazers, lady jackets, winter coats, and seasonless suiting.
Hobbs – This British brand is sold at Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s and they have a few boutiques in the U.S. Like Ann Taylor, they’re one of the few brands with clothing that is reliably machine washable, often including their suits — and many of their suits are eco-friendly. They also come in petites, and if you like the “dress + blazer” suit look then this should be your first stop.
Talbots is a bit preppier and more traditional than Ann Taylor, but it’s an especially good alternative if you’re hard to fit: they offer regular, tall, petite, plus, and even the exceedingly rare plus-petite sizes. They also sometimes carry seasonless wool suiting and great sweater blazers, and readers have been big fans of this colorful cardigan.
White House Black Market has comparable work clothes that tend to be cut a bit closer than Ann Taylor does. (If Ann Taylor is Chicago, WHBM is a bit more Miami — sleeker silhouettes, more fitted cuts, and a touch more glamour.) Readers have loved their suits and their comfort stretch pants. They also offer petites and curvy cuts!
Bonus: There can be great workwear finds at discount stores like Nordstrom Rack. For example, right now they have a nice selection of affordable work dresses from Calvin Klein, Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan.
The Best Higher-Quality Alternatives to Ann Taylor
If you’re looking for:
Executive suiting: Veronica Beard, M.M.LaFleur, BOSS, Reiss, Me + Em, The Fold, Argent
Preppier classics: Brooks Brothers, Antonio Melani, Ralph Lauren,
More minimalist: Theory, Reiss, Vince, A.L.C., Ministry of Supply
More trend-driven pieces: Cinq a Sept, Frankie Shop,
More feminine: Hobbs, L’Agence, The Fold, LK Bennett, Elie Tahari, Ted Baker, Trina Turk, Rebecca Taylor,
Extended sizing: Veronica Beard, Vince, Marina Rinaldi Persona, Ralph Lauren
Classic department-store workwear: Antonio Melani (Dillards),
If your wardrobe is more WFH or creative casual than boardroom: AYR, Eileen Fisher, Frank & Eileen, Anine Bing,
Brooks Brothers – Brooks Brothers’ is the GOAT for conservative office clothes — and while they’ve alway had nice suits and iron-free shirts, they’ve also recently stepped up their game with knitwear, especially cardigans. If you’re thrifting, look for their long bestselling but now retired silk/cashmere shawl sweater.
The Fold London – I mostly think of this brand for their gorgeous origami-like top, but they make a lot of suiting and other tailored pieces — some in neutral colors, but like Ann Taylor in that they do have some fun seasonal colors. If you’re looking for something different (or happen to be in London), keep the brand in mind. You can also now find the brand at Nordstrom!
M.M.LaFleur – This is a big hit with Corporette readers! Some favorite pieces include their suiting (especially their wool twill and washable travel suiting), their jardigans, work pants, silk blouses, and sleek work dresses like this or this. They seem to be retiring their shoe line, but you can still find some sizes in stock — they also have a resale section on their site (and at least in previous years there was a very active buy/sell Facebook group).
Reiss – I always love to look through this British brand’s classic takes on modern styles, and they have a wonderful suiting section (with petites, too!). Note that their fits can be a bit body conscious. Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s both carry the brand; also note that the sale/outlet section on their site has some amazing deals.
Theory – The classic, particularly among BigLaw lawyers — but be warned, if you have curves you may have to size up here. Note that you can also find the brand at a lot of spots, including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Saks. They’ve become more eco-conscious in the past few years through their use of Good Wool. (If you’re thrifting, we talked about some of the older well-known styles in this 2015 post.) Readers also love their pull-on pants.
Veronica Beard – This is another reader favorite; a lot of their blazers are known for having detachable “dickeys” so you can add, say, the look of a quarter zip sweater to your blazer without adding the bulk. (Quince has copied this feature, for what that’s worth!) This brand is at the very tippy top of this price range, but is a lot more common among the readers than the brands in the designer range. Other pieces reader love include this bag line. (You can often find the brand on sale at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack.)
(Again, if you know what to look for you can find nice deals at Nordstrom Rack. Right now, they have a nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone.)
The Best Luxury Alternatives to Ann Taylor
Most of these brands are well outside the average workwear budget at full price. But if you’re browsing The RealReal, eBay, Poshmark, or another resale site, these are the labels that make me stop scrolling. (You can check out all of our favorite high-end, investment brands for C-Suite style here.)
Executive suiting: Another Tomorrow, Akris, Altuzarra, Max Mara, St. John, Lafayette 148 New York, Nili Lotan
Natural fibers: Loro Piana, TSE
Preppier classics: Paul Smith,
More minimalist: The Row, Joseph,
More feminine cuts: Roland Mouret,
Extended sizing: Lafayette 148 New York, Marina Rinaldi
Vintage brands: Armani Collezioni
Akris – Akris, interestingly, doesn’t always have neutral suits — but they do have colorful fun ones. Readers seem to have a lot of luck finding this brand’s cashmere sweaters on resale sites.
Another Tomorrow – AnotherTomorow has a super minimalist line of workwear in generally neutral colors — I think they’re fabulous. They try to focus on sustainable luxury.
Joseph – Joseph has been an IYKYK brand for years if you like clean, simple lines; their “Comfort Cady” fabric is a great bet for luxurious staples. They also offer “shorter” lengths for many of their pants (and coats!), so if you’re hunting for a designer workwear in petite sizes, this is definitely your stop.
Lafayette 148 New York – Readers have loved the brand’s pants for years, and this is one of the few truly high end brands that does plus size suiting.
Max Mara – There are several different tiers to Max Mara clothes, with Weekend Max Mara being one of the lower tiers, Studio and Sportmax being middle tiers, and Max Mara being one of the highest tiers. (They also own the luxe plus-size line Marina Rinaldi, and the slightly more affordable Marina Rinaldi Persona.) They are all lovely.
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