Bloomingdale’s (New York) will be losing an industry veteran this Friday as Stephanie Solomon, vp of fashion, retires after 29 years of working for the retailer, according to Women’s Wear Daily. In addition to working closely with the internal visual team on window displays and scouting new designers for the store, Soloman’s responsibilities ranged from presenting trend reports to merchants to preparing seasonal consumer catalogues.
Her decision to step down was partly based on her desire to spend more time with her family.. Brought on board by Kal Ruttenstein, her background was originally in teaching. Solomon explained, “I was a teacher. I had no background in fashion. I did some work as a stylist. That was [Ruttenstein’s] reason. He said, ‘Anyone who can teach small kids can get by here at Bloomingdale’s,’” WWD reports.
Michael Gould, the company’s chief executive officer and chairman, announced that a successor for Solomon has not yet been chosen.