This week we are excited to feature Molly Dobson as The Fold Woman. Molly is one of the rock-stars piloting a management development program at a prominent British retailer (shown here in The Fold’s Swanston Dress Mink, Rose Gold Leather Belt - ROUS ILAND, Cocktail Ring and Bracelet by Astrid and Miyu).

Tell us about your path that led you to retail…

Believe it or not, I found my ideal career path thanks to an off-handed comment from my Mom.

I originally studied Biomedical Engineering at university and after infinite interviews for jobs I wasn’t really interested in, my Mom finally got sick of it and said, “This is ridiculous, why don’t you go work for a company you actually like? Go work for the Gap.” And the rest is history. I spent four years working for the Banana Republic headquarters before moving to London to pursue my MBA at London Business School.

At LBS, I decided I should probably quit retail and get a job in investment banking or consulting because that’s what most MBAs want to do.  I tried so hard to be interested in those industries, but after one particularly awful interview, I finally asked myself why I was trying so hard to get away from something I liked so much.I ended up doing a phenomenal internship with the Coca-Cola strategy team, but when I was offered a full-time job after graduation for a major British retailer, it just felt right.

What is your favorite aspect of where you are in your career now?

I finally have a grasp on what I want to do with my professional life.

Acting as a “pilot” and bringing a new management development program to life is beyond challenging, but even more so, exciting. I am constantly amazed by the weight put behind this new initiative because you can bet I wasn’t having career development conversations with my CEO in any other company. I’m very confident in my role, but still feel slightly amazed on a daily basis that I have the opportunities I do. Integrating myself into such a beloved British retailer in this much depth has been an incomparable skill-building experience for me.

The best part about working in retail is…

Retail is an incredibly dynamic business, where tomorrow could be the polar opposite of today… it’s really exciting that the smallest decisions my team makes can impact the way people shop in such an enormous way. I’m constantly analyzing what people want and why they shop the way they do and that’s just fun for me. Oh yeah, and I really love the discounts!

You travel a fair amount for work, what is your fail-safe outfit for flying?

I’ve got a travel “uniform” that never fails me. Dark skinny jeans that have a bit of stretch, flat leather ankle boots that come off and go on quickly at security, a top with a fun pattern that hides wrinkles, and a casual blazer over it all. I look exactly the same when I get off the plane as I did when I got on.

Any must-haves that you keep in your purse?

My purse is huge and I carry way more than I could ever need!

I always keep a travel umbrella and some aviators with me so I’m sure to never entirely hate London when it changes weather halfway through the day. I’m mildly addicted to any form of lip gloss and I actually have seven in my bag right now! I basically have mini Lancome Juicy Tubes and True Shimmer ChapSticks in every purse I own. My iPhone and Blackberry are constantly fused to my hands, but I still can’t leave the house without my old school Mead diary that keeps my entire life together.

You are not originally from London, what gems have you discovered since moving here? 

Anyone who’s ever met me knows that my favorite things in life are aimless wandering and eating (healthy balance right?)… so I’ve come across a whole lot of fantastic places in this city.

My absolute favorite place in London is the pesto and olive stand at Borough Market, but I will never get sick of Yalla Yalla and Bibimbap never fails when I want cheap and cheerful with really good food. I also adore the Guinea Grill for its wonderful steaks, chatty old British men in suits who greet you at the door, and because my boyfriend smartly took me there on our first date.

Last but certainly not least, what is your favorite dress by The Fold?

Definitely the Brompton Dress Navy Leather. I love the cap sleeves that make me feel like I’m not forced to wear a jacket or cardi with it to the office if I don’t feel like it that day… but I also really like how easily it can transition from a daytime work dress to an evening event dress just by shifting around my accessories a bit.

I love how the Brompton Dress Navy Leather can easily transition from a daytime work dress to an evening event dress!

The Swanston Dress

• •

  Swanston Dress Black

  £250
• •

  Swanston Dress Coral

  £250
• •

  Swanston Dress Mink

  £250
• •

  Swanston Dress Sand

  £250

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Just as the rest of the world, we are enchanted by Duchess Kate’s sophisticated style. We couldn’t help but to point out that our collection happens to be in the Duchess’s favorite designs and colors.

Fancy feeling like a duchess for a day? Emulate Kate in The Fold’s latest looks. Peruse our ever-chic shift dresses, featured in Red, Navy, Stone and our latest favorite- Sesame!

Pair our fabulous Astor Dress in Stone, (recently featured in You Magazine- June 3^rd Print Edition,“Catherine the Great”) with this beautiful Zahara Bib Necklace from Stella and Dot, to your next tea party with the ladies or dinner and theater night.

Wear our Brompton Dress in Sesame for your “Meet and Greet” with your next big client! Match it with this patterned Etro clutch and these coral patent-leather Giuseppe Zanotti pumps.

Don our Swanston Dress in Coral to any of your numerous Summer 2012 Weddings! We love it with Kate’s recent favorite fascinator creator, Jane Taylor, to complete the look.

Upgrade to business on your next weekend trip and make sure to wear our Jermyn Dress in Sand to feel as effortlessly classy as Kate when travelling! Combine it with a Nancy Gonzalez Passport holder and a Reed Krakoff luggage tag.

We’re confident you’ll love our latest looks, they’re sure to make you feel regal at every occasion!

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Meet Cheryl Ashman, Founder of The Designer Lookbook.

Hometown 

Oakville, Ontario (Canada). For the last 6 years I’ve lived in London (England).

What is your Favourite Fold Dress?

I love the Brompton Dress, because it adds that bit of edge to the classic LBD and it fits like a dream!

Bio

I’ve always had a passion for fashion. When I was younger I knew I wanted to either be a lawyer or work in fashion. Well, the law won. I did my undergraduate degree at McGill University in Montreal and after graduating from McGill I took a couple of years off and lived in San Diego, California before starting law school.

I ended up in New York for my law degree and after graduating from law school I promptly started working for a large law firm, which brought me here to London.

The Brompton Dress fits like a dream! It’s the ideal work dress!

For the first couple of years practicing law was great, however, there was always something pulling me back to the fashion industry. When I starting thinking about what my next transition was going to be after law, fashion was the obvious choice, I just didn’t know in what capacity. So, in true lawyer fashion, I researched, which means I basically submerged myself in the fashion world. I went to events, I did a short course in Styling at the London College of Fashion and talked to anyone and everyone who worked in the business of fashion.

It was during a tour of the exhibitions at Somerset House during London Fashion Week when I came up with the idea for The Designer Lookbook. After seeing all of the amazing designers that day I immediately knew I wanted to create a platform that would help emerging designers gain exposure to a wider audience.

I wanted to help emerging designers gain exposure to a wider audience

There are so many great fashion designers out there and I wanted to create a place where people could easily have access to discovering and buying from these designers. I also wanted to focus on helping new and unknown fashion designers create a market for their work. Unfortunately I had put the idea on a shelf for a couple of years, but in 2011 I got a push from a friend and began working on getting the website, www.thedesignerlb.com, up and running. I quit my job as an attorney in September 2011 to focus on launching The Designer Lookbook.

Tell us a bit more about the Designer Lookbook and what members are entitled to?

The Designer Lookbook is not your typical fashion website as there are two platforms to it. The first platform is the on-line shop. However, The Designer Lookbook is not like other fashion on-line shops: it’s a portal to direct consumers to the designer’s website. Basically, what The Designer Lookbook does is directly connect the consumer with the designer so that the parties can form a direct relationship.

For me this was an important aspect to The Designer Lookbook, because often people buy through fashion e-commerce sites but they never really remember the designer, and because the goal of The Designer Lookbook is to promote the designers it was really important to me that they were directly connected with the consumer, thereby strengthening brand recognition with the consumer.

The second platform is the directory of designers where people can browse and discover new fashion designers. With both platforms, The Designer Lookbook keeps people informed as to who the next big fashion designers are and what they’re creating.

What are some new and exciting trends for this Spring?

I’m currently on the hunt for a great pair of floral trousers, and I’m also loving all the bold prints this Spring. I covet these great print wedges from Mo Saique. I’m also excited by the colours. The pastels add a nice soft touch to spring/summer clothes. I’m a big fan of pink, yellow and mint.

What are you most looking forward to about Summer?

I know a lot of people love to get out of the city during the summer, but I love staying in London because there is so much to do and be a part of. I’m really excited for the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, but what I’m really looking forward to is just lounging in my garden enjoying the sun.

The Designer Lookbook site will be launching on April 10, 2011. To keep informed of the launch, sign up at www.thedesignerlb.com.

The Brompton Dress

• • Sale!

  Brompton Dress Navy

  From: £185 £125
• • Sale!

  Brompton Dress Sesame

  From: £185 £125
• • Sale!

  Brompton Dress Sesame Suede

  From: £225 £125

Expertly crafted clean lines make this work dress the epitome of versatility. Wear with pumps or booties for serious sophistication or a pair of ballet flats and a pashmina or cashmere cardy to create a perfect day look. Knock ‘em dead with this city slicker paneled work dress!

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Meet Sandra Donskyte

, founder of Bitch-Online. The online destination for sassy business women.

Hometown: Siauliai (known as Sun Town), and now living in Wimbledon.

Bio: My career in the UK started 5
 years ago and has always been changing and evolving. I started working in a Fruit
 Factory packing apples and grapes for Tescos, then was a waitress in a number of Hotel
 Lounge Bars across London. I also organised the first ‘World Strongest Man’ 
competition in the UK at Wembley Arena.

I am currently working four days a week 
as a Business Development Manager for a number of Law Firms and Legal Tech
 Companies in Europe, and spending 7 days a week on my founded Bitch Online.


What prompted you to start Bitch-online?

I was never interested or would pay money for magazines full of advertising, celebrity gossip and content that lowers women’s confidence. I wanted to provide the opposite, starting with the name. I loved the name for obvious reasons and aimed to create a magazine for myself and other bold, intelligent women in total control of themselves (or aiming to be). 



What has been your most exciting feature to date in Bitch-Online?


An interview with Petra Joy, female porn director.



Who would be your ideal woman to interview (past or present)?

There are many ideal women (Bitches) to interview. But would love to talk to Michelle Mone, Beyonce and Victoria Beckham about business secrets, personal branding and being in control…



Where do you like to escape to in your free time?

First of 
all I try to escape in my own mind. To complement it physically, I like surrounding myself with nature by walking in the parks or being by the river. If I feel I need an immediate escape, I go to a nice local cafe.



I was never interested in magazines that lowered a woman’s confidence.

What is your Favourite Fold Dress?

The Brompton Dress in Navy and Navy Leather are my favorite; an ideal business wear for women; while the Shanghai Dress in Black would be my second choice.

I would also choose the Jermyn Dress  in Crimson for its unique colour; a trully versatile shift work dress.

• • Sale!

  Brompton Dress Navy

  From: £185 £125
• •

  Jermyn Dress Crimson

  £275

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Meet Anna Coultas, our Fold Woman of the Week, an employment lawyer at Metropolitan Police Service.

From Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Now Living in Bethnal Green, London.

Favourite The Fold dress & Why

The Brompton – you’ve got to love a business dress that makes you two dress sizes smaller. And it makes me feel unstoppable!

The Brompton Dress makes me feel unstoppable!

Brief description of job

Having trained with a law firm in the City, Anna decided to make a change and work for the public sector, advising on large-scale restructures at Birmingham City Council before settling at New Scotland Yard. She advises on all employment issues claims involving police officers and civilian staff, including defending a wide-range of Tribunal claims. 

What makes where you work / what you do unique?

Balancing the needs of staff and officers, with the demands of the citizens of London, and the ever-changing employment law scene can be quite a handful. But I get to go behind the revolving sign every day!

Best spot for after work drink on a Thursday?

The old favourites are the best… The Buck (ingham) Arms on Petty France has seen me right (and wrong!) since joining.

What’s your guilty pleasure to watch on TV?

I am a sucker for The Biggest Loser USA but it’s got to be the US version – noone compares to Bob & Jillian putting them through their paces; and the transformations are ridiculous/inspiring. 

You’ve got to love a dress that makes you feel unstoppable like The Brompton Dress!

What will you NOT compromise on?

Cadbury’s Dairy Milk or being polite – I’ve got no time for rudeness and I mean that in the nicest way possible…

Brompton Dress

• • Sale!

  Brompton Dress Navy

  From: £185 £125
• • Sale!

  Brompton Dress Sesame

  From: £185 £125
• • Sale!

  Brompton Dress Sesame Suede

  From: £225 £125

Expertly crafted clean lines make this business dress the epitome of versatility. Wear with pumps or booties for serious sophistication or a pair of ballet flats and a pashmina or cashmere cardy to create a perfect day look. Knock ‘em dead with this city slicker paneled business dress!

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Too cool for school in our Brompton Dress

Our Brompton Dress is the perfect way to bring fashion into the workplace.  

Leather looking a bit racy?  Pair it down with a cashmere cardigan for day, then jazz up with a bold necklace for night.  

For more monochrome inspiration we’ve hunted out:  glasses (Warby Parker), Booties (Louboutin, Net a Porter), Chanel J12 Watch, iPad case (Alaia, Net A Porter), Londoner Handbag (Milli Millu), Earrings – Industrial Jewellery by Hila Rawet Karni (The Fold), Ballerina Flats (Pretty Ballerinas).  

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