Stephanie Solomon Leaves Retirement to Become Fashion Director at Lord & Taylor

Stephanie Solomon has been named vice president and fashion director of women's ready-to-wear at Lord & Taylor reported WWD.

Solomon is the former vice president of fashion direction at Bloomingdale's. She retired from the retailer after 29 years on June 7 and said she was going to travel and spend time with family. Maybe she found that free time wasn't exactly what she wanted after all. She just isn't ready to leave the industry! "I'm too passionate about what I do to really retire," Solomon said. "I found out that three weeks of communing with nature" is enough. "It's nice to have time to reflect on yourself. I'm fortunate that I had that opportunity. Twenty-nine years is a long time to be married to a brand."

When Lord & Taylor called her to discuss the position, Solomon said, "It was the most pleasant surprise I could ever receive. There was no doubt in my mind. There's no other store I'd rather work for. It's the oldest department store in the U.S. and it has a deep, rich heritage. Dorothy Shaver [president of Lord & Taylor in the Thirties and Forties] introduced American sportswear to the fashion world. It's always been a store that's held great value to me. I believe in the DNA of Lord & Taylor. It potentially could be a big player in the retail sphere."

"We're looking for Stephanie to look at the whole brand matrix and see what we're missing, to grow our contemporary business and look at the whole designer business and decide where we want to go," said Suzanne Timmins, senior vice president of the fashion office at Hudson Bay Company, Lord & Taylor's parent company, and to whom Solomon will report. "As we launch our footwear floor some time in the future, we'll rely on her for positioning. We're looking at our marketing and online business. Everything needs a great eye."