Richard Liebeskind, the founder of Ann Taylor, opened his first Ann Taylor store in New Haven, Connecticut in 1954. "Ann Taylor" was the name of a best-selling dress at Liebeskind's father's store. Both the best-selling dress and the name Ann Taylor were given by the father to his son, Richard Liebeskind, for good luck. Liebeskind decided to go with the name Ann Taylor because Ann was considered a very New England name, and Taylor evoked the image of tailored clothing. The name supposedly created the ideal identity of classic women's apparel. Ann Taylor is a small US chain of clothing stores for women. Clothing is targeted for fashion forward career women. Ann Taylor was founded in 1954.