Ann Taylor Loft

Full review
I'm petite and my occupation requires that I wear professional dress clothing quite often. Not the best option for shopping in the stores, because I find that petite sections are usually minimally stocked in professional attire. And that is if I can even find a petite section in the first place. Since when did the shopping world dictate that we all must be of model stature? I used to shop mostly at Petite Sophisticate, but when I received notice that it would be closing all of its stores last year, I realized I would quickly have to find another source for my professional wardrobe. Through my own searches and based upon friend's recommendations, I finally settled on Ann Taylor Loft.

What can you purchase on the Ann Taylor Loft website?
Ann Taylor Loft specializes in apparel, footwear, and accessories for women. You can find jeans, khaki and dress pants, dresses, jackets, blouses, sweaters, suits, and more. Ann Taylor Loft also sells all kinds of Ann Taylor brand shoes, purses, hats, belts, and jewelry.

Website Organization
Ann Taylor Loft is a very easy site to navigate and order from. The products on the website are divided up into 6 sections:
1) Outfits, which includes work, social events or casual;
2) Apparel, which is further divided according to type, such as pants or sweaters;
3) Petites, which includes all apparel available for those of us who are not 5'5" or taller;
4) Footwear/Accessories, further divided by accessory type, such as purse or necklace; and
5) Loft Trends, a section devoted to helping the shopper to find seasonal trends they may have seen in magazines or on TV
6) Loft on Sale, which includes all of the site's current clearance or discounted items

When browsing products at Ann Taylor Loft, the shopper can view several items at a time on one page. Each item is presented with its name, price, and a full size picture. Once you click on the item you will be able to see its detailed information, including available colors, sizes, washing instructions, and type of fabric. You can also enlarge the picture and see the product in other views. For shoppers who are matching challenged like me, or just those who don't have time to browse to put together the perfect outfit, Ann Taylor Loft conveniently provides suggestions on each product page for pairing up that product with others that complement and complete an outfit.

Prior to settling on a product at Ann Taylor Loft, you also have the ability to consult their size and fit charts, and because I didn't have a store nearby when I first ordered, these were very helpful for me to ensure I wouldn't have to exchange everything I purchased. The charts instruct the shopper how to measure areas of their body and then use those measurements to order the correct Ann Taylor Loft size. Wonder of all wonders, these charts were accurate for me, and I've never had to complete an exchange!

When you've completed your shopping and have added products to your shopping bag, you can check out swiftly and easily by clicking the "checkout" option. If you have not previously, you will need to register in order to checkout. You do not have to agree to receive mailings from Ann Taylor Loft by doing so, as they have the opt-out option right on their registration page. I'd suggest that you don't opt out, however, because then you'd miss out of some fabulous sale and coupon e-mails. I've never received an excess of junk mail from the site, either, so being registered is not a pain.

Check-out is standard (enter shipping, billing, etc) and secure. Ann Taylor Loft accepts the Ann Taylor credit card, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AmEx, JCB, or Diner's Club. After placing your order, you'll receive a confirmation screen and a confirmation e-mail. Once registered, you can always visit the site to view past orders and shipping information as well.

Shipping from Ann Taylor Loft
Ann Taylor Loft offers its shoppers 3 shipping options: standard 5-7 business days, 3 business days, or next business day. If ordered prior to 3pm EST, in-stock orders will ship the next business day.

In my experience, all orders are shipped promptly as promised and arrive with no problems or hassles. I've received each standardly shipped order between 3-5 days. Ann Taylor Loft packs their items with care. Each apparel item is protected in plastic and neatly folded in a sturdy box. Suits are shipping in larger boxes and on hangers to prevent excess wrinkling. Lots of packaging material is used to prevent accessories or shoes from getting banged around too much.

When you receive your items, detailed exchange or return instructions are included with the order. You can either pay for shipping to complete a return or exchange, or bring the items to an Ann Taylor store to complete the transaction. I've never had to use this service (after 10+ orders in the past year--yes, I realize this is a lot), but it looks the same as with other on-line stores: ship the item back undamaged and you'll receive your purchase price or selected exchange item in return.

Prices and Quality at Ann Taylor Loft
Ann Taylor Loft is more expensive than the professional clothing I purchased at Petite Sophisticate or than what you could get in a department store section. But it's cheaper than Talbot's or Sak's Fifth Avenue, and that's the quality that you get. Most of the suits range from $250 to $400 for a complete outfit (jacket, skirt or pants, cami or blouse, shoes, handbag, and 1 jewelry accessory. For a complete professional outfit, I consider this a steal. And when there are end of the season sales or coupon codes available, you can really get some great deals. Recently, for every $50 I spent online I received a $25 gift card for a future purchase!

Ann Taylor Loft apparel is about as close as I will ever get to designer label quality without the name. The clothes look sophisticated and professional, and I've been complemented more than once on almost everything that I've purchased from the site. Most items are dry-clean only, which can be a hassle both from having to drop them off and having to pay more, but I've noticed as of late that they have more "washable" apparel making an appearance on the site. Anyway, no matter where I get my suits, the dry-cleaning aspect is expected.

Overall experience
I can't recommend Ann Taylor Loft enough to any woman looking to enhance her professional wardrobe. And for those of us who are petite, the site doesn't skimp on our options, which is a breath of fresh air. Purchases and shipping are easy, the site offers quality products at decent prices, there are frequent sales and deals offered, and the shipping is speedy and efficient. What more could you ask for?