Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant's corporate owner filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Thursday, the latest retailer to do so during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ascena Retail Group of Mahway, New Jersey, which operates nearly 3,000 stores mostly at malls, had been dragged down by debt and weak sales for years. As part of its bankruptcy plan, the company said that it would close all of its Catherines stores, a “significant number” of Justice stores and a select number of Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant and Lou & Grey stores.That’s bad news for girls like us and all girls, in general. I shopped at Lane Bryant when I was heavier, at Ann Taylor when I was lighter and I will miss them both.
Meanwhile, DressBarn, which closed all its stores’ doors last year keeps on chugging along via the Internet.
Initially, their Internet offerings were blah and did not interest me. But lately, they have been showing some edgier clothing – a lot of it intended for younger customers. Seems that they are now selling clothing from other sellers. For example, the dress in the photo above right is from SukiSo. (Click on the boutique menu on the DressBarn website to see what I mean.)
Meanwhile, my femulating is still quarantined. There is no place for a girl to go to show off her girl! Frustrated by it all, I keep buying more clothes that I can’t wear out yet! Two new dresses from Venus should arrive today and a new dress from Haband should be shipped real soon now.
And so it goes!
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| Olivia |
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| Boys can can-can, too! |
With so many women working remote the need to update ones wardrobe has lessen, so of course even on line sales of women's clothe has taken a hit
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ReplyDeleteBah Hum Bug...get dressed, go out, have fun, AND wear a mask if you must. I find its the PERFECT beard cover-up!!
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The message I got from Catherine's indicated Lane Bryant stores will continue to be open. As often as not, bankruptcy lets a company restructure, and "stiff" some creditors, but remain open. Look at the business model of our current prez -- His accountants knew exactly when to declare bankruptcy to avoid creditors bills but continue to operate.
ReplyDeleteThere are some Lane Bryant stores in the Baltimore area, but I was less impressed with their styles and offerings than at Avenue and Catherine's. Now my choice (note the singular) has been minimized. I'm somewhat limited because of my size. While "heavy" or "light" play a part, my larger bone structure prevents me from fitting into so-called "regular" women's sizes. Plus,the people at both of my now-closed stores were happy to see me. I still get "looks" when shopping at Macy's and Nordstrom Rack. I'll miss the personal care I got from the very helpful ladies at Avenue and Catherine's. But, you all know, shopping in person is orders of magnitude better than online!
Stana, I spend waaaay too much time online checking out CD/TS stories and photos/films. The great information you give us in these posts almost always has me following links or names you've given us.The"can-can" photo rings a bell. I'm thinking it's of a "soldiers in skirts" troop revue. They were popular with the British troops, where there was a long-time tradition of these shows in the British (then) Empire. A number of these troupes continued to perform following the war, some for quite a few years. Have I guessed right?
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hate how COVID has limited my femme socializing options, I try my best to get out at least once a week. I hate the mask, but it is what I need to do, so I do it. It' actually the heat and humidity that has put a damper on my social life. When the thermometer is above 90 and the dew point is near 70, a wig is just too uncomfortable.
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