Ann Taylor a Big Draw at Citadel
The hottest spot at The Citadel outlet mall these days is the newly opened Ann Taylor Clearance Center, the first Ann Taylor outlet on the West Coast.
You won’t find any merchandise there that hasn’t been on the racks in the 180 Ann Taylor stores across the country. This is all first-quality mark-down merchandise (no seconds) from their regular stores. It’s one season behind, so in summer you will find late spring, but the styles are classic and easily move from year to year.
The price slash starts at 50% off the original tag and keeps going until it moves on out the door. For the career woman, a khaki tropical weight jacket originally $148 was a wonderful $44.90; the matching skirt $34.90 instead of $78. So you’ve got a slick suit for about $80 instead of $226. My personal favorite was a black-and-white houndstooth coat dress reduced from $180 to $49.90. Now that’s a bargain.
Sizes range from 0-14. There are no returns or exchanges, so select carefully.
Ann Taylor Clearance Center, The Citadel, Suite 114, 100 Citadel Drive, Commerce (exit Santa Ana Freeway at Atlantic Boulevard); (213) 725-7033. Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Visa, MasterCard and American Express.
Another fairly recent addition to The Citadel is the L. Bates Outlet. Women’s apparel with the L. Bates label has been in the marketplace for about five years. The designs are the kind of quiet and classic look that are always a wise fashion decision. If you like the Carole Little, David Dart, Tina Hagen or Leon Max look, you will find a home here.
You have probably seen this contemporary women’s sportswear in major department stores. It is also sold in about 3,000 specialty shops across the country. This is not a trendy line for the junior market, but rather for the customer 21 and older.
The average retail prices range from $100 to $300. The minimum price reduction of first-quality garments in the outlet, however, is 50% off the original retail and goes up to 70%.
The inventory in the outlet is a season or two old. Some of the pieces may be slightly damaged, but they are identified as such and placed on a $15 rack.
L. Bates Outlet, The Citadel, Suite 106, 100 Telegraph Road, Commerce; (213) 887-0224. Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. MasterCard, Visa and American Express and checks accepted.
Geri Cook’s Bargains column runs every Thursday in Valley View. Questions about shopping may be sent to her, in care of Valley View, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Letters will not be answered individually, but topics of general interest will be discussed in future columns.
