Ready to Wear Author Mary Lou Andre, is ready to help UMass Amherst students

Mary Lou Andre, BA '86 (Journalism and Fashion Marketing) speaks quickly, laughs easily, and punctuates her conversation with body language. She is animated, energetic and completely committed to her business and her passion: helping people function at their best in the workplace by advising them on their wardrobe. If anyone thinks that topic sounds superficial, an hour with Mary Lou will totally dispel that notion! She believes that how we present ourselves to prospective employers, funders, clients and others may be the single most important aspect of marketing ourselves with self confidence, and Mary Lou knows about self-marketing in two senses: marketing ourselves to others, and marketing what it is we do. Best of all, she knows how to do both on a budget, and she knows it all from her own experience.

A native of eastern Massachusetts, Mary Lou Andre says she was "born with fashion in her," and always loved the feel and color of fabrics, playing dress-up as a child. After serving as a high school representative on the Jordan Marsh Fashion Board she came to UMass Amherst where she created her own program of Fashion Marketing, Journalism and Management classes. That combination she says led ultimately to the opportunity to mix her loves of fashion and business, with her flair for the entrepreneurial spirit. As a student she wrote a fashion column for The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, and when asked what styles were prevalent on campus in the mid-eighties, Mary Lou laughs and says, "Madonna! Picture Madonna!" Despite her interest in fashion though, Mary Lou had no plans to make a career out of it. It was public relations and the opportunity to make a difference to people that fired her imagination and led her into her first job.

After graduating, Mary Lou went to work as a legislative aide in the Statehouse in Boston, working on an anti-drunk driving campaign. The senator she worked for had lost a daughter to an alcohol-related traffic accident and was sponsor to a series of legislative initiatives on the issue. Mary Lou provided the media with information on the bills, and in the process had the opportunity to work with a variety of influential people in and out of the political milieu. Her next professional position involved providing public relations for Spectrum House, a now well-known drug rehabilitation program; there the seeds for her future charitable efforts were planted when she organized an effort to bring used, professional wardrobe items in for clients to wear when they went on job interviews after treatment. Drug-free and ready to take on the responsibilities of working women and mothers, they had no appropriate clothing and no money with which to buy them. "Why not help them look their best and feel good about themselves?" Mary Lou wondered, and emptied some of her own closets for their benefit.

After Spectrum House Mary Lou took a position back at the site of her high school fashion experience, as the special events coordinator for Jordan Marsh. Some of us who are old and local enough will remember one of her responsibilities: the annual "Enchanted Village," a Boston Christmas season tradition for generations. But, as the age of the downtown department store faltered, recession forced a massive restructuring of the retail industry, and serendipity and a mentor entered Mary Lou Andre's life and altered her career forever. A woman executive at the store was laid off, and as she began the job-search process she asked Mary Lou to help her update her image and wardrobe. "You could make this into a business," she told her, and then as Mary Lou's own job ended, the same woman hired her to completely reorganize her professional wardrobe and closets. As Mary Lou puts it, "I was laid off on March 30 and began a business on April 1." Word of mouth spread quickly among professional men and women, and Organization By Design was up and running. So was Mary Lou Andre! With no capital to speak of, she sold her wedding dress and some other clothes, took a part time job at the Boston Children's Museum and set about to creating a marketing plan that would make her company survive and grow without spending every penny she had. In the process she developed her "ten guiding principles of business," (she actually wrote them on an airplane flying to a meeting,) the core of which is that "putting money before common sense, decency and human beings," is bad for business and bad for the people involved in it.

Today, Organization by Design is a successful firm serving major corporations as well as individuals from all professional backgrounds, and offering support to women in transition through "Fashionable Giving" charitable events. Her recently released book, Ready to Wear: an Expert's Guide to Choosing and Using Your Wardrobe, has been met with excellent reviews and successful sales. Mary Lou Andre is a brilliant example of her most most basic belief:

"Life is a journey on which we're all learners." she says, "People have a reason and a season, and I don't believe in coincidence. I know we have to stay open to the messages and opportunities that come along in this imperfect world; situational fluency is the key. Situational fluency, that's it."

Mary Lou Andre's' website is found at http://www.dressingwell.com where there is information on her history, business, charitable events and book. There are also weekly tips on professional wardrobes. It is well worth a visit.

The College of Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is proud to be part of this dynamic, amazingly competent graduate's life and we hope to have her back on the campus soon so that others may have the opportunity to meet and be inspired by her.