Meredith Paley Named Vice President, Public Relations of The Talbots Brand

HINGHAM, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
The Talbots, Inc. (NYSE: TLB) today announced the appointment of
Meredith Paley as Vice President, Public Relations for the Talbots
brand, responsible for directing its fashion public relations
initiatives. In her new role, Ms. Paley will be based in Talbots New
York design office, and will work closely with the Company's creative
and marketing teams.

Ms. Paley, 40, joins Talbots with more than 17 years of fashion
public relations experience and significant expertise in specialty
retail. Ms. Paley most recently served as Group Vice President of
Public Relations and Public Affairs at Kenneth Cole Productions Inc.,
a role she held for the past seven years. Prior to that, Ms. Paley was
Managing Director of Publicity and Advertising at Nicole Miller. She
has also worked at fashion and beauty public relations agency Atelier
Creative Services, Inc., VH-I Television, and Abrams Artist Talent
Agency.

"With the addition of Meredith, we are creating a full-time
fashion presence in New York for the Talbots brand," said John Fiske,
Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Administration of The
Talbots, Inc. "We are very pleased to welcome Meredith, as she brings
extensive experience and strong media relationships in the fashion
world, which will be instrumental as we continue to rebuild the
Talbots brand as the leading retail destination for the 35+ female
consumer."

Ms. Paley commented, "I am very excited to join Talbots, as I have
long admired its strong heritage and loyal customer base. I look
forward to working with the marketing and creative teams to build on
this classic brand."

Ms. Paley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carnegie Mellon
University. She currently resides in New York City with her husband
and two daughters.

The Talbots, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer and direct
marketer of women's apparel, shoes and accessories. The Company
currently operates stores in 869 locations in 47 states, the District
of Columbia, and Canada, with 592 locations under the Talbots brand
name and 277 locations under the J. Jill brand name. Both brands
target the age 35 plus customer population. Talbots brand on-line
shopping site is located at www.talbots.com and the J. Jill brand
on-line shopping site is located at www.jjill.com.

The Talbots, Inc.
Julie Lorigan
Senior Vice President, Investor and Media Relations
781-741-7775
or
Berns Communications Group
Investor/Media Relations
Melissa Jaffin/Jessica Liddell
212-994-4660

Copyright Business Wire 2008