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What is the Best Ann Taylor Suiting Line?

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woman wears a gray collarless blazer and gray suit pants with a black top; she is sitting on a chair of some kind with one leg propped up.

For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits for women, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional.

In your opinion, what is the best Ann Taylor suiting line if you're hunting for a basic interview suit? We haven't addressed this pressing question in years.

I was just thinking how the Bi-Stretch line has so many great options. I love the cutaway blazer, pictured above, and the sheath dress is one of the best I've seen: flattering scoopneck (not too low, not too high) with cap sleeves, making it thoroughly layerable but also appropriate for most offices. There's another blazer option as well, and ankle and straight pants in regular and curvy sizes 00-18, regular and petite. (ZOMG and the sheath dress has zippered pockets!! Actually, a lot of the pants have flattering pockets also.)

As for the fabric, the poly/rayon/spandex blend is a 4-way stretch that is machine washable. Some of the product descriptions note that the pieces are lined (dress, blazer, skirt).

(If unlined workwear bothers you, you can check out our older post on what to wear beneath unlined suit pants — I'd love to hear if anyone has any other solutions than what we recommend!)

The gray suiting options are online exclusives; the pieces are $98-$198. (The line is also available in black and lavender.)

(As for the other Ann Taylor suiting lines, the brand has a fun new Ann Taylor suiting guide — for my $.02, the seasonless stretch also looks great for classic suiting, but a bit boring. The cross weave suiting looks cute, but personally I'm not a fan of the double-breasted blazer or the top in suiting material (and the dress, while really cute, strikes me as hard to layer under a blazer) The double knit line looks great on the models, but the sheath dress looks a bit too matronly for my taste. And stretch cotton suiting, while lovely, is really only great for warm weather (plus it can wrinkle).)

(Unfortunately, all suiting is excluded from the 50% off sale Ann Taylor has going on right now.)

Readers who've bought suits at Ann Taylor recently, what are your thoughts — what do you think is the best Ann Taylor suiting line?

Psst: if you're interested, here's the latest in the bankruptcy case against their former owner.

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Sales of note for 12.5

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90 Comments

  1. I need some help on what I need. So I never dye my hair , is used to be a pretty brown with some natural highlights. Since having a baby 8 months ago I have so many greys, and between skin issues, mostly in sweats , I am not rocking those greys. They look frizzy and I look rough. I’d like to do some sort of color, hopefully something not too high maintence, but that looks natural. I did an all over “glaze? “ once years ago and felt like it looked very dyed if that makes sense. I’d really like it to look natural but enhanced (and not grey). When I call the salon, what would I be asking for ? Thanks so much

    1. I bridged this gap for years with very fine highlights and lowlights. The idea was to have more lightly brown strands in my hair so that the gray strands didn’t stand out as much. It also helped the gray strands be less frizzy when my stylist caught those in the foils, which he tried his best to do.

      You want the opposite of “chunky blond highlights” so if you say that they’ll know what to avoid.

      1. Let them know in advance that you are thinking about highlights–they’ll want to budget extra time for your appointment.

    4. Tell them exactly this and the kind of look you want and they’ll figure out the best solution. You can do a consult with your stylist before before booking an appointment.

      1. Yep – tell them all of this and they’ll be able to guide you! They can likely walk you through your options.

    5. If you like the look, I’d check Instagram for someone who does bayalage. They can cover the gray at your roots and give you back some of your pretty color and highlights. You’ll probably want a clear gloss on top but it won’t feel one note like single processed dark can.

    6. I think that the answer is hair straightening via Keratin treatments, etc. for the hair texture that you want. No amount of color can fix that.

    7. Piggybacking because I could have written this post word-for-word: I gave in about a month ago and had my stylist just do an all-over single color because I thought that would be easiest (since I have a baby and just went back to work). However, I hate it. It looks so one-note, it doesn’t quite match my natural color, and the greys are now growing back in a straight line at my scalp. Not really solving the problem, although it did resolve the frizzy grey texture. What can I do now? Can I get highlights on top of this? Should I just let it grow out?

      1. Yes, you can get highlights on colored hair. Talk to your hairdresser. My sister does this — she is a blonde these days but wasn’t born that way (it’s the law in Texas). All over color in a dark blond, highlights in a lighter blond.

      2. The highlights don’t have to be all the time. I get coloring to manage new growth while doing highlights a couple of times a year to give it depth. When I just did highlights I didn’t like having grays (I’m blonde fwiw).

  2. I’m getting a standing desk today (well, one of those Varidesk convertible desks) – any tips for someone who has never used one before? I’ve seen people have those mats that you stand on – necessary? Anything else I should know?

    1. Adding that I’m doing this because of bad back pain while sitting…I’m starting physical therapy in a few weeks as well. My doctor thinks it’s from my SI joint.

    2. I like using a mat. I googled “best mat for standing desk,” found some exhaustive article ranking them, and bought the top ranked one.

      I have no special tips. Just stand or sit whenever it feels better.

    3. If you already have back pain, be very careful to get the ergonomics correct- make sure the monitor, keyboard, and mouse are accessible without having to tense your arms or shoulders. I have neck and shoulder issues and found that a standing desk was even worse than sitting, so hopefully it works better for you than it did for me!

    4. I just went through PT for SI joint pain. While I did not find standing to be better than sitting, I did notice frequent movement was very helpful. Getting up and walking around every 30 minutes (or sitting down if I had been standing for a stretch), paying attention to my posture, being sure to breathe without holding my breath, and absolutely sticking with the PT exercises as prescribed all made a world of difference. A heating pad was also helpful at the end of the day.

      I think the mat might be helpful if you notice your feet hurting after standing (like if you are on a hard floor otherwise), but it could also discourage you from changing positions as frequently as you should.

      1. Yes to the movement instead of sitting for long periods. I don’t have back issues except when I sit too long in a day or sit in an airplane for 8 hours.

        I did have a standing (adjustable) desk in the before times. I stood for 30 then sat for 30 minutes. I also stand during conference calls unless I’m presenting. In March 2020 I bought a cheap wooden riser that is fabulous that gets a lot of use at home. I put it on the credenza in my home office and I just move my laptop/keyboard back and forth. I find I’m much happier at the end of the day standing more often.

    5. Watch for ergonomics issues from the standing desk while using it in the sitting position. I ended up getting rid of mine because it was too high while sitting and made my shoulder hurt. I didn’t have any problems with my fancy one at work where the whole desk went up and down, but the varidesk was not for me.

      1. Yeah, I somehow need to adjust the monitor height each time I change from sitting to standing, otherwise it doesn’t work for me.

      2. Counterpoint: I used to have a Varidesk and used it only as a monitor stand while seated. It put the monitor at the perfect height for me.

    6. If you have back pain while sitting, also recommend the BackJoy chair cushion. It’s life-changing, and about $40 on the River Site that one should do penance for shopping at.

  3. I like my Ann Taylor bi-stretch suits and get compliments on them when I am in court. I always thought that I would buy expensive suits at this stage in my career, but now I think Ann Taylor on sale is my price point forever.

    1. I really like Ann Taylor suits as well, but am I the only one who has trouble putting together a suit from the small selections of sizes available in each piece? Is there a secret to getting them when everything is in stock?

        1. That secret helped me so much yesterday. I had a professional event to go to and I found my old work pants looked a little faded. But I found a pair of pants I’d bough on clearance spring 2020 thinking we’d go back to the office soon, still with the tags on and I wore those and they felt perfect.

    2. Same, No Face! I dry clean mine occasionally but mostly put them through the wash on delicate and they stay good – no fading, shrinking, etc. And so long as I stay in the petite section, they fit me like I was the fit model, which is weird because that’s been true through a four size (yikes) increase over the years. Like no matter what size I am, AT fits me perfectly off the rack with no alteration.

    3. I’m like this with BR suits but I have an AT wool suit from 2004ish that is still amazing and refuses to wrinkle.

  4. Is there a way to get gchat alerts on my iPhone? We use gmail for work email and my team loves gchat. I hate it in part because I have no idea I am even missing chats if I’m away from my desk

    2. Yes. The app is called Google Hangouts and the chat feature in the app is g-chat.

  5. Any recommendations for a higher-end baby shower in San Diego? A friend is finally pregnant after 3-4 years of trying and rounds of IVF. Looking to plan it in the summer. I’m not from the area. Looking to splurge a bit here – want her to feel special and loved after all she’s been through to get to this point. Guest count will be 20 or so. No one has a house that is both well located and large enough to host at home. Looking for venue and/or catering recommendations.

    2. Depends where in SD: from North to South I’d recommend: Rancho Bernardo Inn, L’Auberge Del Mar? Kona Kai Resort on Shelter Island?

    3. Not sure where in San Diego you are looking, but if you’re open to Del Mar, I went to a bridal shower at the L’Auberge Del Mar several years ago, and it was lovely.

    4. When in the summer? If early summer (May or June), I second the recommendation for the Rancho Bernardo Inn. We have something called “May Gray” and “June Gloom” here and there is a substantial chance that the weather right at the beach would not be great. If that is too far north or too expensive, the Coral Tea House is lovely. The Grand’s Tea Room and Extraordinary Desserts are also nice – although 20 people might be beyond the latter’s capacity. I am not sure if they do showers but the patio at The Prado in Balboa Park is also beautiful. Liberty Station has some nice event space and there are a couple of restaurants you could order the food from.

      For July – August, the Hotel Del Coronado and L’Auberge Del Mar are very fancy (and very, very expensive). Any of the May/June places will still work except the Rancho Bernardo Inn because it will be starting to get hot that far east.

      Avoid Comic Con week at all costs!! You will not be able to find hotel rooms and the place is a mad house.

      1. Not sure about party rooms, but the U.S. Grant Hotel in the Gaslamp District is very fancy and nice. Also second the Hotel Del suggestion.

  6. Does anyone have a recommendation for a car service from JFK to downtown Brooklyn? The individual that needs the ride would be more comfortable with a prearranged car service than a taxi/Uber/Lyft. Thanks!

    1. My company uses Red Oak Transportation as a car service from NYC area airports and has had good experiences all around.

    5. I used NYC Perfect Transportation based on Trip Advisor reviews last year for a trip from JFK to NJ and they were excellent.

    2. I’ve always liked Mermaid Inn in the WV for peoplewatching + oysters.
      The Oyster Room at Grand Central isn’t fancy or anything but I’d trust the oysters there (and go for a drink at Campbell’s Apartment later.)

      1. Anonymous at 3:59, you might be thinking of Mermaid Oyster Bar. The Mermaid Inn locations (Chelsea and UWS) are also nice but I agree, the WV location is best. And there’s an app! I would pass on the Oyster Bar at GCT, unfortunately. Maison Premiere is incredibly romantic. I also like Sel Rrose on Bowery and Upstate on First Ave. (As you can see, this is a hobby!)

      2. I had lunch at the Grand Central oyrster bar once. The food was not great and the service and decor were abysmal.

        1. They just renovated it recently. I think it’s fun but I would say food can be hit or miss – but it’s great for sitting at the bar and ordering oysters, clam chowder and a simple fish of some kind.

          Flex Mussels (2 locations – one in the Village and one on the UES) usually has very good oysters. So do all of the other places you got recommended.

        2. It’s not really supposed to be good. It’s supposed to be an experience. The oysters and martinis are good – I like to sit in the bar.

  8. Does anyone have any recommendations for a small wireless phone charger that I can use on the go/while traveling? I have an iPhone that’s not one of the newest models, if that’s relevant. I have a portable wireless charger currently, but it’s old and needs to be charged again after every use, so I’m interested in replacing it. Thanks!

    2. I got a charger with an integrated wall plug and integrated connector to the iPhone so I don’t have to bring cords or wall charger/converter too. I has an iPhone connector, a USB-C connector, a micro USB connector and a usb port to plug in another charging cord and the unit plugs directly into the wall for charging. Brand Q on amazon. Link to follow.

  9. I was just looking for suits last night and came across a Corpor*tte post for 2022 suits. The comments, though, are from 2018 and one of the first comments is from somebody saying they’d never, ever wear flared pants again because they’re so frumpy. Oh, how trends change!

    1. And I can clearly remember when you “will pry my bootcut jeans out of my cold, dead hands.”

      Right before we all starting wearing skinny jeans.

      Frumpy = fashion from more than 2 years ago.

  10. For those of you who started in biglaw but then moved onto something else where business generation is not an issue (esp. government but also in house), if you ever felt the urge to go back to traditional practice/client service, how did you know you were ready? I don’t mean just having a list of contacts so you could show some firm – yes look I have a business plan. I mean did you feel that desire to really be pounding the pavement to build up a book at any kind of firm – whether biglaw or regional or boutique. Or conversely did you not do it because you felt you may not be able to build business and how did you know/decide that?

    I know it’s VERY popular to go places and be a service partner or counsel and sometimes that can work out for life, but IDK with the amount of over-hiring in recent years and an inevitable economic slowdown whether a year from now or 2-3 years from now, it seems risky to go into a business generation position and have NO book. Yet IDK I’m so tenuous about whether I could actually do it. Anyone been thru this thought process?

    1. IDK what you have to show to a firm to lateral. A lot of contacts? A book of current business? Does anyone know how this stuff actually gets diligenced? [I fear my firm is on a mad spending spree and has made really bad calls before. And if I jump, IDK that I’d be viewed with suspicious for claiming X and only likely to deliver Y.] I wouldn’t want to be any sort of cost center in a few years (unless it’s like how the trauma surgeon needs the anesthesiologist, but not so much the marketing person b/c the ambulance goes where the ambulance goes and isn’t comparison shopping on the way over).

      1. Some firms ask for a business plan – essentially a list of contacts; conferences etc. you usually attend/plan to attend etc. But it isn’t diligenced really at all. That’s historically been a problem in law – lots of mediocre white men make partner someplace and are able to lateral over to another firm with higher comp with grand promises of I know so many people in x space, I’ll bring in y, and they never do and then sit as service partners at the new firm until they lateral and do it again. Firms end up going on wild spending sprees as they are doing now and as they did in 05-07 only to realize a few years later that the people they brought in don’t generate. And yet let’s be real the manner in which they deal with white men not generating business is far different from women and esp. minority women; at least during the last down cycle, women were shown the door first.

    1. Stayed with some friends at Boardwalk in the fall for a milestone birthday and it was lovely. Not on the beach, but beach access across the street next to the ritz, two pools, super cute and filled with plants. Plus anywhere that greets me with bubbly gets bonus points.

  12. Just reading the money post from this morning.
    I’m 27, make $120k now but did not start making over $100k until about a year ago.
    I was pretty pleased that my net worth was about $100k.
    $600k!!!!
    My rent is much higher, and I didn’t have like a secret parental account, so that makes a big difference.
    I save a similar amount. I don’t fully get the partnership money part, but definitely don’t have anything like that.
    I have more in “cash available today” but of course a lot less in “non retirement savings”.

    1. If you have amassed a net worth of $100k by age 27 at your salary range, you are doing great. While the Money Snapshot person seems to have her head on straight around money, she has been given a nice nest egg and continues to receive income from intergenerational wealth. Most people do not have those advantages, myself included, and we have to build our own financial security. I am not putting down the person in the snapshot, just saying that it is comparing apples to oranges. Keep up your solid savings rate! You rock!

      1. Total agree!

        OP you are doing great. With a salary that high, at your young age, you will have a fantastic life. Just continue to save and max out retirement, be smart with your money, and continue to revaluate what you want to do with you life every 5-10 years. You should have the financial freedom to do this.

    2. I’m 33 and make $70,000 per year and probably have a negative net work, I’m not really sure. You’re fine. You will be fine.

    3. Like Anon at 4:23 says, you’re doing really well already at your age! Plus, this board skews pretty high income when people are willing to post. Heh, when I was your age a decade ago I made 37k and was drowning in student loans and would be too embarrassed to talk about it. As long as you’re saving for retirement now, you should be fine in the long run.

      I do know there’s a few of us on this board that make around 50-60k/yr and we’re not entry level.

    4. I was about where you were at age 27 though I don’t have exact records going back that far. About six years later at age 33 I was around 750k. In all the first million took 12 years post graduation [slower than it would be for others as there was 1.5 years of unemployment in there, as well as the great recession]. So yeah you’re in a really good position. Keep at it.

    5. Your stats were the same as mine, down to making $120k at 27. I had a negative net worth because of my student loans. Now less than 10 years later my net worth is very high.

      Obviously, someone with no student loans and family money will have a bigger net worth than you at the same point. Run your own race and you can go far.

    6. OP, when the money snapshot writer talked about ongoing “partnership income” she is talking about ongoing money from the family investments. (I could be wrong, but that’s how I read her statement.) She talks about being in grad school – I don’t think she’s a big-law or consulting or CPA partner.

  13. I’m contemplating a move from state and local government to private sector and it’s scary! All of my “real” post-grad school jobs have been with government. I know it, it’s familiar to me. Anybody else done this and have stories to tell? And now all of these “recession is coming, be prepared to get laid off” comment threads are making me pause.

    1. I just did it (am an analyst/not a lawyer). The money is really nice, the perks are really nice but I don’t love it. I hope to do my time here and move back to government or a non profit. Turns out, I really miss the “mission”.

      1. Thanks! This is what I’m worried about too. I have to constantly remind myself nothing is forever and I can always go back.

        1. You can even do it intentionally. Go private, save, and then return to the government if you miss it.

  14. Late to ask: how are people styling paperbag pants like the morning pick these days? If you’re wearing them at all, I guess!

    1. Not wearing them at all, I don’t find them flattering and the pokey-out fabric at the waist irritates my arms.

    2. I don’t wear them, but if I did I would wear them with a fitted tank top or tee tucked in. They also work well with bodysuits.

    3. I’ve always loved the look of paperbag pants but I’ve never felt confident enough to pull it off.

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