Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Another Look at J.Crew's Jenna Lyons

There is an interesting article from the Los Angeles Times (click here) about J.Crew's Jenna Lyons. **The author really likes Jenna as she has written about her before (refer to this post, which this article is based on)– and I don't blame her! ;)

Jenna Lyons: the woman who took J.Crew from plain Jane to designer look
By Booth Moore

August 31, 2009

Updated on September 1, 2009


It all started with the yellow outfit — the Pembridge dot pencil skirt, the Italian deco tank and the color-block cardigan. Michelle Obama wore them for an appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" in October, revealing that she had purchased the items online from J.Crew.


The skirt, the shirt, the sweater — all sold out in a matter of days.
It happened again in April when the first lady chose the crystal constellation cardigan and dazzling dots pencil skirt for a visit to 10 Downing St. in London. The sweater sold out by 10 a.m. East Coast time. "Michelle Obama is the best thing that ever happened to J.Crew," the New York Daily News announced.

But industry experts and fans of the label's $88 pencil skirts and $78 beaded cardigans might nominate another candidate: Jenna Lyons.


Lyons is creative director for what has become the go-to brand among women who demand designer style ("custom tailored accents," one fashion blogger noted) without designer prices. That title means she's in charge of every design element of the company, Web site and catalog, and it's her attention to detail — delicate beading, raw edges, crepe de Chine ruffles — that sets J.Crew apart from other mall stores. The company's ability to be both aspirational and attainable has made it popular with Indianapolis career women and Birkin-toting Malibu trophy wives alike.


Lyons "is my fashion guru," says Harpo Films President Kate
Forte, who first contacted Lyons to help her select an outfit for the "Cadillac Records" movie premiere last year. "I was wearing Alexander McQueen, Chloe and Stella McCartney and spending tons and tons of money on it," Forte says. "Then last summer, I thought, 'This is ridiculous.' "I have worn J.Crew to movie premieres and industry breakfasts, and I still get the same compliments that I used to."

Despite the retail rut, under Lyons' creative direction the company has continued to expand. Some of fashion's biggest names have noticed. Derek Lam, the New York designer of opulent fur coats and delicate silk dresses and a classmate of Lyons' at New York's Parsons the New School for Design, understands her appeal. "Jenna brings a fashion editor's eye to an accessible brand," he says.


Lyons, the daughter of an insurance agent father and a stay-at-home mother, grew up in Palos Verdes. Even then, her own aesthetic was well-suited to J.Crew's business of basics with a twist.


"I was a school uniform rebel," she says, sporting her signature masculine-feminine look with a man's blazer, cropped pants, thick black eyeglasses and a tangle of glittery necklaces. "I used to shorten my skirts way too much and alter my shirts to make them really tight. I would shorten the sleeves on my blazer and put cute buttons on my cashmere sweaters."


Lyons spent summers working as a lifeguard and shopping on L.A.'s trendy Melrose Avenue. She frequented stores such as Circle Jerks and Black Fly, removing buttons and notions and sewing them onto other pieces. She also ordered clothes from J.Crew.


After high school, she enrolled in a fashion program at Otis Parsons in L.A., transferring to the New York campus for her sophomore year. Her first job after graduation was as a design assistant at Donna Karan, but Lyons found it frustrating because she and her friends could not afford the clothes.


In 1990, at age 21, she interviewed at J.Crew, which seven years earlier had launched as a mail-order business focusing on preppy clothes.


"When I took the job (as a men's knitwear designer), I forgot to ask what the salary was because I was so excited."


But even after she switched to designing women's garments, she didn't want to wear most of the clothes in those early years. It was, she said, about selling, not about fashion.


After a private equity firm bought a majority stake in the company in 1997, J.Crew went through three chief executives in five years. A new chapter began when Millard "Mickey" Drexler, newly ousted from the Gap, arrived as chairman and chief executive in January 2003.

The night before Drexler started in 2003, Lyons stayed up late researching him online.
"I had just done a complete redo of the line six months before, and I knew I was going to have to do it all over again — if I still had a job."

The next morning, he held a meeting with the company's senior merchants, designers and stylists to go through the fall collection piece by piece.


"Do you love it or hate it?" he asked Lyons, who was the head of women's design reporting to another creative director at the time.
"It does $1 million, but I hate it," she said of a pair of run-of-the-mill stretch pants. "Then throw them on the floor," he replied. The same thing happened with a "poodle" yarn turtleneck, a stiff leather jacket and other items.

Drexler then fired all of the senior level designers except for two, promoted Lyons and charged her with filling in the holes in the collection.


Gayle Spannaus, J.Crew's head women's stylist, who styles all the catalog shoots, remembers that Drexler loved the outfit Lyons was wearing that day — high heels and cargo pants.


"He asked her, 'Why don't you design what you're wearing?' "


The change was quick. J.Crew went from basic rugbys, drab workaday trouser skirts and silk shells to Liberty of London floral-print button-down shirts and silk Jacquard dresses "woven in the same style as the French haute couture."


Although she supervises a team of 25 women's and 15 men's designers, Lyons ultimately must approve thousands of pieces a year. She also oversees the catalog, Web site and store design.


Lyons is passionate about fashion, and not just J.Crew. One senses sometimes that she wishes she were designing loftier things.
No doubt that is why J.Crew launched its higher-priced Collection pieces such as $3,000 tortoise-colored sequin jackets ("I bought it, and I paid full price," the designer says), a $495 silk dupioni rosette dress and $395 snakeskin flats. Lyons is also working on expanding the company's bridal wear, perhaps even opening bridal boutiques.

I really enjoyed reading this article. It's always fun to learn more about Jenna Lyons and her rise at J.Crew. I can totally picture her wearing high heels with cargo pants too! Jenna has a unique style that totally works for her. :)

What are your thoughts on the article? Are there any pieces of information or quotes that are particularly interesting or revealing? :)

30 comments:

  1. The beaded cardigans are $150-400 and the pencil skirts also run to $200 (not including collection $900 lace skirts).

    $78 and $88 is an understatement.

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  2. "It all started with the yellow outfit [...] The skirt, the shirt, the sweater — all sold out in a matter of days."

    Um, no they didn't. The cardigan, in particular, languished in the Final Sale for weeks.

    I find it interesting how this story has so quickly become part of fashion lore.

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  3. Is is just me or is Jenna Lyons EVERYWHERE?! Good grief. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading about the Crew, but I feel like it's Jenna overload. Oh well. I guess they need to keep the brand out there. And to top it off, I rec'd the email from Jenna with her "picks" for fall. Of course, it suckered me in and I did my obligatory $150 order. I wanted to use my rewards card, too, and since I wanted the cord pencil skirt, I figured now was the time.
    Alexis, I recently started blogging a few weeks ago-I would love it if you could check it out/add it to your blog roll if you're so inclined. Thanks!!

    http://gingergirl4242.blogspot.com/

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  4. Jenna is becoming a little overexposed, you get tired hearing about her. Is she taking over from Mickey one day? Makes you wonder with so much publicity about her.

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  5. Cass, I was lol'ing on those quoted prices too...off the mark by about $40. I agree Jenna seems to be getting a lot of publicity lately. At least she's not an arrogant poseur. Well, maybe the "I paid full price for the $3k jacket," is a bit pompous, but whatever.

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  6. "It all started with the yellow outfit [...] The skirt, the shirt, the sweater — all sold out in a matter of days."

    Um, no they didn't. The cardigan, in particular, languished in the Final Sale for weeks.


    So true!!!

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  7. I would love to read an interview with whoever styles the catalog shoots. Whoever that person is they're what really keeps me coming back to J.Crew over and over. They have a true knack for making each item look highly desirable and assembling outfits that I could have never come up with on my own.

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  8. Oh, LOL I see it is actually the next post down!!

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  9. I've read the last part of this article before and not recently. Starting with the part about the school uniform rebel and onward, this was published somewhere months ago. And the date listed is August 31, 2009 with a note saying it was updated September 1, 2009. That, in itself, is a bit fishy since it is only August 25 and the LAT is a daily.

    I agree with others, Jenna fatigue has set in. You can only care so much about whose vision is at work. Maybe it's just me but a lot of the stuff that has rolled out lately doesn't warrant a second glance. Just a couple of pencil skirts from J.Crew and the rest of my wardrobe is coming from other sources. So over the ruffley embellishments, graphic tees, destroyed jeans and glittery pieces. This look has been rehashed for too long to be of any interest. At least some of the shoes have leather linings and soles so I may give them a serious look but otherwise, seen it all before - a major yawn.

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  10. I think the article is probably going to be published in the LA Times "Image" section on Sunday but latimes.com probably already posted it.

    I have read the article before though so it must be a reprint from somewhere.

    Thanks to Alexis for posting it!

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  11. Good morning everyone! :)

    This article has been written before by this author. I mentioned quickly that its based off her other article (refer to this July 13th post: J.Crew Is Everywhere In The News! ).

    I still enjoyed reading it though. :)

    Also, I agree with Roxy that I would love to learn more about Gayle Spannaus, J.Crew's head stylist for women (& the one who styles all the catalog shoots). :)

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  12. Boring. I don't mind Jenna. But, like, others, I just have to roll my eyes at these recycled, pseudo tastemaker pushing puff pieces.

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  13. I liked the article, and had not read it before. I think that she has an amazing PR person who is working their tail off!! I agree with a few others that it would also be interesting to read more about the Stylists and some of the other folks on her team.

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  14. I feel like I've already read this article - like 20 times.

    I applaud Jenna on her success, but I'm kind of burnt out on reading the same stories about her. Yawn.

    And I think J. Crew needs a new angle other than Michelle O wore some of their ensembles throughout the year and campaign. Now that the president's ratings are dropping, I'm surprised they're still touting this. I think Michelle looks great. I'm just tired of reading the same story over and over.

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  15. Agree on all counts! Jenna fatigue for sure!

    And am I the only one who selfishly doesn't want all of America shopping at JCrew so I can have more selection to myself? Less publicity, please! LOL!

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  16. Off topic: The sale section updated. Not by much though. Happy shopping! :)

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  17. cliquot,

    I'm with you, lol. The more PR JCrew gets, the less inclined I am to buy. Not to mention the increasing prices and persistent quality and sizing issues...

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  18. I've said it before, I'll say it again. I like Jenna. But if she put together a classic black suit and wore it with a plastic bird on a headband Mickey and the media would just be in awe of her "unique" style. I'm all for being unique, but I would like to see JCrew get back to basics - increased quality, better fit (so much of the past few seasons has been boxy/cropped/or exceeding long)realistic prices, and overall incentive to spend the little $ I have in this recession.

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  19. LOL @ Lori, "plastic bird headband." Also, the more JC pushes Jenna, it makes the brand about one person rather than an image/lifestyle. What if Jenna wants to leave JC one day? Are they going to have to quadruple her comp to get her to stay b/c they have so inextricably intertwined her with the brand?

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  20. To add to Lori J's comment, when I see someone (who isn't a sales associate) dressed head-to-toe in JCrew, styled right off the mannequin in the store or a photo in the catalog, it's no longer unique. All these ruffles and flourishes of late scream JCREW from a mile a way, and that's not the kind of wardrobe to which I aspire.

    What I appreciate about Jenna is usually when she is at an event or being photographed for a piece on JC, she is not totally swathed in her company's designs. She mixes it with vintage, designer, local, etc. JCrew is trying to sell her lifestyle/aesthetic, but trying to convince consumers they can find it all with them. I find it pretty bland and off-putting, and actually takes the fun out of shopping at JCrew for me.

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  21. It's funny, I actually do not think that the average person sees someone and immediately knows their outfit is J Crew due to the ruffles/embellishments or way it is styled. I think WE do because we are aficionadas of the brand;) I too would LOVE to hear more about Gayle--she's a HUGE part of the success! I agree that Jenna could go bye-bye and then whose going to pick up the pieces? Mickey is heavily relying on her image to carry the brand and that is dangerous territory. What if GAP offers her a deal she cannot refuse?
    I do think she sounds like an idiot when she refers to that Tonight Show outfit--the whole thing was in the final sale section before Mrs O ever wore it. And wtf? Why would anyone that works at J Crew as HEAD of creative pay full price for ANYTHING? I am not impressed. What a ridiculous notion.

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  22. I feel like I've heard this story, over, and over, and over again?

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  23. While I can't blame Jenna for the paper recycling an old article, I do agree with the sentiment that most of us expressed here: I think I'm growing a little weary of the eclectic mix-match. It's a fun style, but they need a new take on stuff.

    I found it interesting that this month's Bazaar and InStyle had very few pieces from JC in there. Ann Taylor, BR, TopShop, and H&M make a few appearances but JC isn't being mentioned as often (though Bazaar did give a shout-out to their elongated cardigan in an article entitled "The Best Bargains for Now".

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  24. I have to agree that there is a lot of rehashing the same ideas. After all, Jenna was wearing rolled-up cargos with heels in 2003 when Mickey told her to style her own outfit and we have seen that look consistently ever since. Is there anything really new or cutting edge lately? Sure, the tweed is nice, but tweed is absolutely everywhere this season already, not a J.Crew-inspired trend.

    I am getting bored with a lot of the styles and have returned more in the last 4 months than in the last 4 years. One of the items I returned was the blush tweed skirt. The colors just seemed harsh and didn't work with my wardrobe. And just look at the massive volume for sale on the weekly exchange and other blogs, many things NWT. Maybe it is a case of more people discovering this blog but there must be a lot of disappointment out there too. Sure, a few good pieces have sold out and I did get a handful of gems myself this year but that is about it, a handful.

    I think Jenna's time is over and Gayle should get a promotion.

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  25. Jenna Lyons seems like a really nice lady. And I am completely sick and tired of hearing about her.

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  26. Like the rest of you I have Jenna Fatigue!

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  27. Agree with Roxy and bug pin - JC styling is so unique and fab. They make almost every piece look covetable. 'Spose $300 worth of baubles will do that! har har

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  28. Paper bird headband!!
    Watch - I bet there will be one by Christmas.

    Reading these comments made me think about the days when J. Crew was marketed more as a lifestyle than as a specific look on a specific type of woman. I'm thinking about those old catalogs featuring group shots - like a family reassembled at a cabin for Christmas, or a group of friends hanging out in the backyard with the dog. People of different ages, different styles. I don't think I'd noticed till now that they've mostly steered away from group images that seem to tell a kind of story.

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  29. Rae you are so right. Even the prized Paris catalog imagery was about the ensemble, not one person. I miss that too.

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