How Lands' End's Amanda Kraemer Gives Midwest Classics a New-York Attitude

Fate. Divine timing. Sheer coincidence. Whatever you call it when life aligns in a near-perfect way, Amanda Kraemer—the global fashion and styling director of Lands' End—knows it well.

Two years ago, before she joined the heritage brand as its fashion point person, she felt adrift. As a single parent to a 4-year-old, she was freelancing as a creative consultant and stylist, which meant constant travel, long days, and every time she returned to her New York City apartment, it felt increasingly foreign. Although the nagging voice—“Do I have what it takes to truly do all of this on my own?”—had quieted somewhat, it lingered.

Late one night, Kraemer lay in bed whispering, “Okay, God, Universe, higher powers—give me a sign. Just show me where I’m meant to be.” The very next day, her current boss texted her and invited her to apply for the job as global director of fashion and styling.

Beyond that perfect timing, Lands' End already ran through her veins. Growing up in a remote Wisconsin town just miles from the company’s headquarters, she spent teenage afternoons scouring the outlet racks for Drifter sweaters and other backstock treasures. “I was born and raised in the DNA of this brand. It feels very full circle,” Kraemer reflects.

So she packed up her son and moved home—something she never expected to do. “Moving back to Wisconsin was not part of my life’s plan. But so many amazing things in my life have been curveballs,” she says, settling into a house just 20 minutes from the Lands' End office.

Her penchant for pivots goes back further. At 18, she enrolled in FIT’s fashion design program, and within a month, she knew she didn’t want to sew. She switched to fashion marketing, landed at Target, and discovered that business cards and profit-and-loss statements weren’t her thing, either. “At that point, I didn’t even know what a stylist was,” she laughs, “but I knew I’d figure it out.” A cold call to Shopbop turned into an executive-stylist role, and she fell in love with curating clothes.

During her interview for her current role, Kraemer noted that “Lands' End pieces are ones that a grandfather could wear, a parent could wear, and a teen could wear, too.” When I reminded her she was once that teen, she laughed: “Exactly—that’s timeless. Wherever you live, whatever your age, anybody can make these pieces work because they’re the building blocks of a really great wardrobe.”

Ahead, Kraemer reveals the one must-have piece she tucks into every suitcase, the handful of fashion Substack newsletters she turns to daily for fresh ideas, and how stepping into the fashion-and-styling role has deepened—and even redefined—her lifelong love affair with a brand she's worn her entire life.

Marie Claire: If you had to sum up your style in three words, what would they be?

Amanda Kraemer: Androgynous, confident, and personal.

MC: As the global fashion and styling director of Lands' End—and a nonstop traveler—what’s the one piece in your closet you truly can’t live without?

AK: A blazer has always helped me in my life. When I want to feel a bit corporate-y but not stuffy, I'll throw one on with a T-shirt. I pack one on vacation because I know I can wear it with jeans, black pants, a dress, a skirt, and shorts. It's cliché, but you really just can't go wrong with a great blazer.

MC: You have strong convictions about style. What’s the fashion rule you’re absolutely unwilling to budge on?

AK: There’s this confidence in being resourceful, just doing you, and not catering to any particular head-to-toe look. I think mixing high-low brands in an outfit is chic. Like, I love wearing one of our Drifter sweaters with a Prada mini short.

MC: If someone told you their wardrobe felt stuck in a rut, where would you advise them to start shaking things up?

AK: Play with color. Change your mood by adding it to your outfit. We need that pop of optimism right now, whether that's head-to-toe cherry red or simple color blocking. Color allows you to experiment with an aesthetic without being confined to a single trend or style. I enjoy the boho fashion trend we're seeing everywhere—sheerness and ruffles—but that's not a look for everyone. But everyone can work with a pop of red.

MC: Which designers or labels do you gravitate toward outside of Lands' End?

AK: I love and want everything from Loewe, Prada, and Chanel, but there are so many incredible smaller brands doing things their own way, and I really respect that. I love the denim brand Still Here. Kallmeyer blends a perfect mix of soft androgyny with a forever clean and classic look. Hai and Donni really bring out the refined feminine in me, and I love everything by Bode—the mix of novelty and classic styles is so good. Maryam Nassir Zadeh is incredible. Emily Dawn Long’s pieces are beautiful. William Frederick is a small Ohio-based brand making very classic, androgynous tailoring pieces—button-downs, woven shirts—that transcend gender, age, and environments. I really appreciate that.

MC: The Lands' End woman has been evolving for decades. How would you define her today?

AK: She’s somebody who’s not pivoting. She's true to herself and curates her wardrobe so it feels reliable and appropriate. She can wear it this year, in five years, or in 10 years to come. Really, I don't think there's a ton of shift from the Lands' End woman twenty years ago to 2025 to the future.

MC: The fashion industry feels like it's at a turning point. What do you think we need more of right now?

AK: It’s so important that we have pieces that make us dream, because growing up in the middle of nowhere, fashion was a fantasy. Carine Roitfeld preached this, and when I revisit her work from the 1990s and aughts, every nuanced detail has this element of fantasy woven into it. I try to bring that into my work at Lands End by taking a basic, ordinary piece and infusing it with a bit of novelty while still blending it with the reality of women's lives and making it attainable.

MC: Outside of magazines and social, where do you turn daily for fresh fashion inspiration?

AK: Lately, I mostly read Substack. I love Still Here World, Magasin, and 5 Things You Should Buy. Oh, and I should also mention my soon-to-be-unveiled account, The IYK. I've also been listening to a lot of Oasis because I still have faith that I'm going to be able to steal a ticket and see them if they stay together and make it to the States.

In our Have You Met series, we get to know stylish creatives, changemakers, and founders.