Dressbarn Was My Favorite Fashion Secret. But Then They Ruined A Good Thing

I read with dismay that the parent company of Dressbarn, Ascena Retail Group, will be closing all 650 of its stores. The reason? The company, which also owns fiscally healthier Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant, claims it wants to focus on its other, more profitable brands.

“This decision was difficult, but necessary, as the Dressbarn chain has not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today’s retail environment,” said Steven Taylor, Dressbarn chief financial officer, in a statement.

Apparently Dressbarn lost out because they stopped catering to younger shoppers or families, with rivals such as Target and H&M winning over customers, according to a research note by GlobalData Retail analyst Neil Saunders.

Taylor’s air of resignation speaks volumes, and I think that Saunders’ clear exasperation with the retailer is missing an important point. Why did they have to cater to younger shoppers or families in the first place?

Instead, Dressbarn was the perfect outlet to focus on the midlife market — and the buying power of women in their 40s and 50s — that the chain never really took seriously or tried to explore.

For instance, women in that age range need dresses that aren’t miniskirts, or shirts that aren’t skin tight, or tunics and leggings that look both chic and fashionable. That was, I believe, Dressbarn’s sweet spot.

The dresses were inexpensive and came in cool patterns and/or lace, and I never felt bad about ditching them after a season. As a journalist and writing professor at New York University, I often have to dress for conferences where I speak on pitching and the craft of writing, and I always get compliments on my outfits. (Although when asked where I got my dress, I’d say I bought it at a local boutique, because really who thought it was a good idea to refer to a place to buy clothes as any form of a barn?)

In my case, I’ve kept Dressbarn in my back pocket for all sorts of fashion emergencies, and they’ve always delivered. Sure, you had to dig a little through the stuff — some of it was too sparkly, flowing or matronly, but if you curated the merchandise carefully, there was fashion gold in there, too.

I got engaged wearing a brightly colored floral Dressbarn dress; and even wore one to my bridal shower. When I needed a blingy Halston-style jumpsuit for the opening of the Cher show on Broadway, I found a gold lamé black number from the retailer online. I even bonded with my mother-in-law, who lives in Melbourne, Australia, by selecting colorful seasonal fashions from the store to fit her small frame, and sending them to her via air mail.