Article by The Washington Post
It’s a tough moment to be a woman shopping for business attire.
As the “athleisure” trend keeps up its long tyranny, many retailers are ordering up loads of jogger pants and stylized sweatshirts instead of tailored trousers and silk blouses.
Meanwhile, mid-price stalwarts such as Ann Taylor and Banana Republic seem to be operating with a broken fashion compass. Department stores are chasing hard after shinier objects, trying to win over millennials with trendy casual clothes.
All of this has left a serious vacuum in the marketplace. And that white space is where women’s apparel start-up MM.LaFleur hopes to make its name.
The brand, an e-commerce site just beginning to branch into physical retailing, is aiming to become a wardrobe go-to for harried 9-to-5ers. So it has just opened its first local store on K Street Northwest — smack in the middle of their turf.
