Kate Hudson Is Charged With The Task Of Making Ann Taylor Cool Again

In addition to renewing her contract, Ann Taylor is also letting Hudson design her own clothing collection.

The move shows that she's been a bigger success than past short-lived Ann Taylor spokeswomen Demi Moore and Julianne Moore.

Hiring Hudson again shows that execs are serious about appealing to a younger audience. Hudson, a 33-year-old mother of two young children, speaks to a different clientele than Demi Moore.

An Ann Taylor executive once told me that the company was troubled by comparisons to Talbots, which now tailors to women in their fifties.

Ann Taylor's stodgy image was apparent in an episode of the popular HBO show Girls.

Allison Williams' character Marnie is turned down for a job because she is wearing a boxy suit that is purportedly from Ann Taylor.

"Where does one get an outfit like that?" the interviewer asks, to Marnie's embarrassment. The message is clear: the brand just isn't perceived as "cool."

It's possible that hiring Hudson to upgrade its image could work, wrote Hayley Phelan at Fashionista.com.

"While we doubt the brand will ever be a hit among young trendsetters, we do think it could stake its claim to the slightly older demo of cool moms and career women, who are a bit conservative but also fashion-savvy," Phelan said.

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