What are your thoughts on the article? Any points you found particularly interesting? Anything you disagreed or agreed with? :)Five Keys To Jenna Lyons’ Success
By Lauren Sherman
July 15, 2010
Jenna Lyons was named president of J.Crew yesterday. The news arrives after several consecutive raises and bonuses for the creative director. Want to get where Jenna is someday? Here are five key components of her success.
1. A Great Mentor. What can we say? Mickey Drexler is a retailing genius. He recognized Jenna’s talent in 2003 and helped her to design not only for her customer, but herself. The reason J.Crew works so well is because the designers actually wear and like the clothes that they design. Not so with plenty of other high street brands.
2. Consistency. Jenna’s been working at J.Crew since the early nineties, and while we’re sure she’s had plenty of offers to work for other designers and retailers, she’s stuck around, slowly moving up the ranks. Now, I’m not advocating sticking with a dead-end job, but it does feel like people tend to hop scotch from company-to-company without really considering the consequences these days. In the past, my mentors have said to me, “Don’t leave a job until you’ve stopped learning.” Just think how different high street fashion would be if Jenna had left J.Crew four or five years out of school.
3. Modesty. Jenna may be a tough boss (we’ve heard as much), but she’s also incredibly modest and thankful for the talent around her. I’ve seen her at functions introducing herself to prestigious, higher-end designers, and she’s always so excited and honored to meet them, even if she is at their caliber (and probably much better-paid). She’s also quick to credit her team, from the designers to the stylists, for the great collections J.Crew puts out each season.
4. Some Semblance of Work/Life Balance. Have you seen Jenna’s husband? He’s like, ridiculously good looking. And her kid is pretty perfect. But that’s not the point–Mr. Jenna could be an ogre, and the kid a terror. It would still be impressive that Jenna decided to not give up on having a family and a life outside of J.Crew. So many people–women and men–are miserable in their personal lives. And that most certainly affects their performance at work.
5. A Great Eye. I mean, really. That’s what it really comes down to. She knows what she likes, she knows what she doesn’t like, and she’s great at interpreting high fashion and high style (two separate things, mind you) for a mass audience. Think about the collaborations J.Crew is doing–Fenton/Fallon, Essie, Miriam Haskell. These are calculated by someone who knows what she likes better than 99.9% of the population. And she knows what they’re going to like, too.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
J.Crew's Jenna Lyons {success explained}
A big "thanks!" to GemTwin who shared the following article with us from Fashionista (click here to read in its entirety):
46 comments:
Dear J.Crew Aficionadas & Aficionados: Please feel free (and encouraged) to share your thoughts and opinions. :) However, please note that this is still a personal blog. So comments that are considered inappropriate (e.g. obscene, racist, homophobic, personal attacks, rude, and just plain mean) will be removed.
And now back to J.Crew! :)
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I liked this brief profile, especially the advice about not leaving a job until you stop learning--may not be applicable to everyone but it's a good principle to consider.
ReplyDeleteYet it is all too evident to me that she designs for tall, thin women who can dress creatively and provocatively in the office . . .
I'm tired of Jenna. They need to focus on the clothes and the company more.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Team Tracy.
ReplyDeleteI am still not sure how design talent will translate to business acumen and all of the skill it takes to run a business. Many considerations are outside of the design world.
ReplyDeletePerhaps she has the skill and intelligence to translate those into being a successful business person. We shall see.
I agree with Hexicon that she doesn't design for all shapes of women. As for styles, maybe that's how a lot of women dress in NYC? Several good points were made in the article. But, I'm still tired of Jenna.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, math teacher, this is not how a lot of women dress in NYC. We are not fashion-ridden airheads trailing streamers and glitter, we are not partizans seeking a long-lost underground. We work, we take care of our kids, we eat out, we order in, we cook, and yes, we shop! But mostly we try to lead our lives and not led our lives need us. As a practical matter, most offices have dress codes that forbid denim, tank tops, sandals... and didn't this very blog recently post a picture of Jenna herself sitting at a desk and wearing a lovely yellow blazer over a shirt that did not show cleavage? Some of the more extreme Jenna pieces seem to be channelling Sex in the City Lite.
ReplyDeleteFrom every interview I've seen, I like her. I think she'd be fascinating to talk to, great to go out to lunch with, fun to have drinks with. She does seem modest, and she comes across, to me at least, as fairly down to earth. She's been giving free rein to design whatever she'd like and I might design some pretty off the wall things too if I didn't work in a conservative office. There's also no argument that her talent has made the company money and frankly some of the items in the last two or three years have delighted me. Not all, but some.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I agree with Hexicon that she is designing for herself. She's incredibly tall and thin and works in the most creative industry there is. She and the other women in her workplace can and are probably required to take fashion risks and push the envelope. Maybe she should visit Hexicon and I are our respective places of work, read our dress codes and see what we do and with whom we work. I like sequins and ruffles, I just need something else for the office.
Ahhhhhhhh I want Jenna's job so badly. Or one like that. Who wouldn't want to stick with a company that's treated them well, recognized their talent and rewarded them en route to the top with fantastic compensation and all the room one needs to be creative? When you love your job like she does, and it uses every facet of who you are, the company just can't lose. Her love of the job simply comes through in the output. And I think even though she's the prez now, there are others doing the paper-pushing and other administrative tasks so Jenna can focus on what she does best -- creating a vision, inspiring the designers and selling the dream. Over the years, I've learned that often one sign of excellent business leadership is the ability to delegate your not-so-strong areas to others.
ReplyDeleteFind me a job like that and I'd never leave either!
It just goes to show you that when your work is your passion, it seems like everybody wins. She's happy and obviously well paid, her family is happy because she's not bitter about going to work every day, and obviously Mickey is happy because she's making boatloads of money for him and the other shareholders.
I wish my work was my passion. Maybe someday, after the bills are paid and my son is on his own, I'll figure out what my passion is and find a way to pursue it. ...
I'm not tired of Jenna or the press she seems to generate, but what I AM tired of is their unashamedness in saying that she designs for herself. This is very clear to those of us who are familiar with Jenna and the brand. Admittedly, a full, knee-length skirt probably wouldn't look right on her, but it DOES look good on others. It makes me so mad that they are ignoring other body types.
ReplyDeleteOh, and for those interested, I just published a review on the Softspun Sunset jersey dress here
ReplyDeleteNo. 4 is pretty ridiculous. Let’s not swoon because an extremely well-paid clothing designer has a husband and a kid. There are people with far more demanding jobs who also manage to have families. The last graf “So many people–women and men–are miserable in their personal lives. And that most certainly affects their performance at work” should just have been left out - it’s way too blanket of a statement, and what’s the source?
ReplyDeleteThis bit from no. 5 “These are calculated by someone who knows what she likes better than 99.9% of the population. And she knows what they’re going to like, too.” Collaborating with another established company isn’t exactly high risk.
It’d be wonderful if Jenna realized how many women aren’t six feet tall. Though I do wonder: If at 5-3 I find the 15-inch skirts absurd, how does someone like Jenna possibly consider those wearable?
it annoys me that having an attractive husband is on a list of ways to be successful. oh, and the "perfect child." i'm sure there are days in jenna's life, like everyone elses, that aren't perfect.
ReplyDeleteVis a vis that comment about her personal life--I think the issue is more about balance, and how well one achieves it. Don't we all know people who have both a job and a family but are terrible parents/spouses? Or vice-versa? So I don't really understand the writer's point in lauding Jenna for actually having a personal life outside of work. The truly laudatory achievement (which she may or may not have earned) is to be a present, involved, engaged, and loving parent/spouse while also being a present, passionate, devoted employee.
ReplyDeleteThat's what's rare and worth aspiring to. And if Jenna's succeeded on that front, I think many of us out here struggling to be and do both would love to know how.
About Jenna's job to create a vision for the company at every rollout, I am clear about just this one : boy-meets-girl . Next? Is vision about selecting locales according to weather for catalog shoots, and then piling on clothes on the models irrespective of the fact that it is a hundred degree or zero degree outside? All I have learnt from Jcrew (incase they mean to lead customers down a road), is to pile on clothes and let some part of myself be a boy .( Oh! just mentioned this in the former part of my comment). I just find all this too funny, and its down to one thing : design clothes so they can keep customers( esp. women) interested with the ultimate goal of selling huge.
ReplyDeleteThese days I am drifting away to Anthropologie and it sure does not try too hard to keep me interested in them.
wellfedfred, I hope you weren't upset by my comment about NYC women. I just wonder where all these fashion-forward women live and work? Here in Charleston, SC, the women don't dress like Jenna seems to want them to. No socks with heels and only the college girls wear the super short minis (well, some of the teen girls where I teach try to wear those, too - thank goodness for some dress code rules! :D). Does anyone where "high fashion"?
ReplyDeletenot upset at all, MT, and I actually agree with the thought that the designs are for a few. I'm just getting a teensy bit bored and tetchy with all Jenna, all the time. But since I'm posting again, let me add that most NYC women also do not have personal assistants and PR firms celebrating their every move….
ReplyDeleteLauren S., I imagine having a lot of money helps! ;)
ReplyDeleteBalance may be easier to achieve when your house is cleaned for you, your meals are prepared for you, a driver whisks you from home and work, no?
I imagine Jenna must be sick of hearing about herself, too, or at least I hope so.
Fun read, thanks for posting this Alexis!
ReplyDeleteCorry, now that is the truth right there! LOL! That's what I always tell my husband -- I'd be the hotest, happiest thing on two feet if all the drudgery was removed from my life! :-)
ReplyDeleteCory,
ReplyDeleteYou hit the nail on the head!
Honestly, ladies, most days I wake up with an aching lower back and think that the first thing I would get if I were rich would be a masseuse/personal assistant who would give me a massage upon wake up, followed by a cafe au lait! :) And yes, Elaine, I think my husband would notice a difference! (oh, and a close second is a personal hairstylist) ;)
ReplyDeleteAs much PR as Jenna receives, I'm afraid a reality show will be next, and then I really will swear off the Crewlade. I agree with all thoughts put forth by WellFed and MT in SC-if I wore an outfit like Jenna wore for the Fall video shoot out in public here in KY, people would be staring, and not in admiration. I imagine the reason that J Crew is not trying to put forth designs that flatter different body types is that it would REALLY require a design genius to come up with the varied designs as well as a serious commitment to quality and resources to enable it to establish a share of the market. I personally think it would be a wonderful undertaking on the Crew's part if they would launch such an effort, but it's pretty obvious that the company's real "mission statement" is "as long as they allow us, we will charge our customer more, while managing to provide merchandise of lesser quality"
ReplyDeletewell, I will be the annoying dissenting voice--if it wasn’t for Jenna (and Mickey) there probably wouldn’t be this JCA community. She’s been there a very long time so at least partly responsible for all the pieces we love and don’t love--it seems for every pencil-skirt lover here, there is an opposing cargo-pant lover so clearly she’s doing something right. I don’t expect to like every single item they produce and good thing for my wallet too. I also think they have the most attentive customer service I have ever encountered--and I am pretty old.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI was in Anthro on Sat, and then at JCrew. In the Anthro dressing room, there were girls in their 20's to women in their 60's (and some mom and daughter duos)all trying on outfits. In JCrew, everyone seemed less than 30. I think that says something about who is designing for whom (audience and lifestyle.)
ReplyDelete(*I agree, I do buy some items and stalk the pages for those items b/c customer service is wonderful and the interpretation of "trends" is usually fairly tasteful--but we are not shy to admit the bombs)
I am sooo tired of Jenna and I agree with the comments that she styles only for 1 body type tall and thin.
ReplyDeleteCorry you hit the nail on the head, it is easier to achieve life balance if you have hired help.
I love Jenna, not simply because she is one of the major voices behind a creative product that we all love (lets face it, why would we seek out a blog devoted to their product if we did not), but because she is a strong successful female role model who has "made" it in fashion while maintaining a classy image and demeanor. As for all of the complaints that she only designs for a "tall thin customer", she designs for the J Crew customer, and if you don't think J Crew has devoted much money time and research into finding out what size and proportion their average (and most profitable) customers are, you have NO IDEA how corporate fashion really works. In addition the fact that J Crew has managed to not only survive but THRIVE in the face of a recession points not only the beautiful clothes they make, but to the aspirational marketing and styling of their brand (to which end Jenna has obviously been a great part.) True, most stylish women, even in fashion meccas like New York, do not walk around looking like the page of a J Crew catalog, but the fact that we all, if even in some small measure, aspire to, speaks directly to the overwhelming success of J Crew and by extension Jenna Lyons.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else get Boden's e-mail about their autumn collection? Took a brief peek and there are some very pretty pieces I spy .... can someone help out with sizing? Do their sizes run pretty true to, um, size?
ReplyDeleteWe have wrath-of-the-gods weather here right now - torrential rain, lightning, clouds so low I think I can reach them from my window. ... Need a pretty distraction :-)
La Belle Helene:
ReplyDeleteFollow the measurement guide of the individual piece to help you decide which size will fit best. I find it is very accurate and most pieces I receive fit perfectly.
I typically wear a 6-8 in J. Crew dresses, and I wear a 6-8 (UK 10-12) in Boden dresses. J. Crew tops I wear a 2-6, and in Boden I wear between 6 (UK 10) almost 100% of the time. I wear a size 6-8 in J. Crew pants/skirts and in Boden I wear a solid size 8 (UK 12). Their shoes run wide-ish, I have often had to get the equivalent of a US size 9 (Boden size 40) to make the shoe fit my narrow foot.
The Johnnie B. line is an option if you can wear smaller J. Crew sizes...I am always a medium in Johnnie B. for dresses and tops, and a large in their bottoms. :)
Hope that helps!
I am not tall and thin (5'4" about 135 pounds) and I can wear many styles at JC. However, there are plenty of items that are made for tall, thin women who have no chest. I'm always disappointed when I can't wear a cute top or sweater b/c I have broad shoulders and a larger chest. I sometimes have to size up to a large (not lately, though - vanity sizing) and wonder what women who are large have to do. I love their ankle toothpick pants b/c they are a perfect length on me and I'm thankful for their short length. Most petites are too short in the rise, so most of my pants come from JC. Now, their miniskirts must be made for extremely petite women b/c most of them are too short for me! I do wish JC would do a variety of skirt types as they used to instead of pencil or mini. I don't dislike Jenna or think she's doing a bad job, I'm just tired of hearing about her. :)
ReplyDeleteNicola,
ReplyDeleteHave you thought that perhaps many "profitable" JC customers are tall and thin b/c many styles only flatter those types? I believe there are many other body types who would like to shop at JC more but who end up putting things right back on the rack or returning them in disappointment. I am tall but curvy and I know I would buy a ton more from JC if they took into account how things might look on women with hips/boobs. I don't expect every piece to flatter every body type but some diversity would be nice.
I am totally over Jenna, get back to the old J crew. I will be back then.
ReplyDelete@Dinagideon, thank you! How crazy that j.crew's sizing is so inconsistent you have to guess among three sizes ...
ReplyDeleteI've got no problem with Jenna but these gushing fan articles are a bit much. And Corry, you are absolutely right. It is amazing how much more you can put into everyday life when the mundane is not your concern.
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly tall at 5'9" and on the thin side taking size 4 bottoms but I have to size up to 8 or even 10 to fit into J.Crew tops, thanks to my bust. Often the sleeves are baggy, the collars are lower and the shoulder seams hit further down my arm than I would like but I make do or take things to a tailor when necessary. I like to layer under jackets and cardis and I usually leave them undone so that helps. I think I am in the minority here sometimes as I buy a lot of J.Crew but it is not even 50% of my wardrobe. I love hanging out here though, it's so much fun even if I have no new purchases to talk about. The comments, weekly exchange and JCA reviews, plus a chance to have my say, are totally great.
Regardless who J.Crew is designing for, they sure know how to pique and keep the interest of a loyal following.
Oh, if anyone is interested in Jenna's husband, Vincent Mazeau's art, you can find some examples here. It's from 2005 but that is the most current I could readily find. Maybe he's been too busy being a full time parent to produce new works. Although I don't have children, I can totally understand!
ReplyDeletemath teacher,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the skirts. I loved all the pretty ones JCrew used to make several years ago...2005-8 esp.the fuller skirts or the ones that hit right above my knee. Even their minis where not as short as they are now.
As far as sizing and body type...I am tall at 5'10" and fairly thin at 140. I wear a large in JCrew sweaters even though my bust is just 36 A and I wear an 8 in their cami's. I also wear either an 8 or 10 in blazers/jackets.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot that goes into what size you wear...not just bust or shoulder or waist measurements but overall body type matters too...one's frame and bone size.
The latest J.Crew lookbook which was "Jenna's Vision" I found way over the top. I know some JCA's will say that's just high fashion and I don't understand high fashion (I don't care its not my field of expertise and I'm not purchasing $5,000 Armani silk shirts here I am buying clothing from a catalog). I liked the catalogs I saw back in 2006, 2007 and even 2008 with smiling happy models like the Rome and Paris catalogs. I wanted to buy everything in those catalogs. Those models I found naturally appealing and relatable. They also didn't look vapid and starving. The more I see of Jenna's Visions of High Fashion lately the less and less the brand appeals to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sick of Jenna yet and I liked this article. I love that she's been with the company for so long and worked her way up. And I liked that modesty was emphasized. Time will tell how her time as president affects J Crew, but I'll choose to remain optimistic that it will only be for the better :)
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion here!!
I'm not sick of Jenna yet and I liked this article. I love that she's been with the company for so long and worked her way up. And I liked that modesty was emphasized. Time will tell how her time as president affects J Crew, but I'll choose to remain optimistic that it will only be for the better :)
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion here!!
I just visited the Bellevue WA B&M. I used to walk out of JC feeling a little sad that I couldn't afford to buy all the pretty things that I loved. Today I walked out of the store empty-handed and feeling sad that there wasn't anything for me to love.
ReplyDeleteAs one of the PP mentioned, JC must be doing something right, as they are flourishing even in this bad economy, but these days they're not offering as much that is appropriate for my lifestyle.
P.S. B-vue sale section was 30% off but very picked over and almost nothing left in XS or S.
Lots of great points here and I agree with most of you JCAs.
ReplyDeleteCorry, you hit the point! ;-)
I think Jenna is a nice person in real life but I too am getting tired of her PR here and there back to back.
My plea for J.Crew: Mickey and Jenna, please focus on the quality of your items and bring back some modest clothing. With all these "disposable" clothing and shoes (sequins, glitter tees, falling apart cashmere, regenerated leather soles) the earth is less greener. I expect my clothing and shoes to last more than couple wears. {sigh}
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ReplyDeleteI think one has to realize any catalog is going to be stylized these days (what few are left), and we have had years now of the heaped on layers in street and high fashion, largely driven by celebrity stylists and the many lay people who copycat it. (Yes we are way past due to let go of this trend. We've had what? 5 years of it in the fashion world?) Unfortunately the layered craziness also expedites the shooting, as more pieces can be shown per model shot. So no wonder J Crew has continued it long past when people in general were getting tired of seeing it in every fashion media piece or on the street. (Can we please STOP wearing yards of wrapped scarves outside in the heat of summer? How ridiculous! Celebrity stylists should be fined or imprisoned for their ridiculousness in recent years. :) If you really need that against the air conditioning, take it off outside, otherwise don't wonder why people look at you like you're nuts. Ditto with tights on 95 degree days. :) All it really says is you are too attached to the trends, particularly from stylists.) All designers tend to be somewhat self centered and influenced by their own tastes and body type, they all have blindspots, so just get real here about Jenna's blind spots. Also, J Crew/Jenna's team are for the most part digesting runway trends and mixing them with classics. That is the only way they can continue to survive into the next decade as a company marketing wise. That is the future--the egalitarianizing of fashion with hi/lo is not going away, but is going to become more so--without going so far as everyone ending up looking like soccer moms or suburban secretaries in all-season polyester boot cut pants from Gap, Victoria's Secret or Banana. So if you don't like what J Crew/Jenna's team are doing, and you don't watch the fashion world trends, then perhaps you should stick with buying all your clothes at the Gap or Macy's, as that is not what J Crew has been about the last decade. As for the buzz around Jenna, that is deliberate marketing/PR moves to build the brand visibility internationally, as they have just taken on Netaporter to distribute to UK. Get a hint. They are probably starting a long term strategy with that and her visibility to go global. To go global quickly and profitably, you need plenty of cache around the designer. So they've grown their own Ralph Lauren goes global kind of ramp up that we can only now see the first signs of. (RL going global was a huge deal in the industry years ago.) Mark my words, it will probably happen in the next few years, pending how the world economy goes. As for NYers don't dress like this, don't know where you are in NY, but there are LOTS of NYers who do, but they aren't working in midtown for a law firm, that's for sure. Go to LA, SF, Denver, etc. you will also see lots of people dressed this way. Even in Europe you will see it--every time I am there I see it (I was just in Lisbon in May for instance). So perhaps before griping you should look around further to understand the industry. And maybe get fitter if you truly think you can't wear the clothes--as I see ALL body types working in their stores, wearing their stuff, and it works just fine.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI could complain about the scale of the bags being too big for me, or the dusty colors dominating the fall collection--but what's the point? It's just temporary, it will pass. They had to move beyond the preppy color palette eventually to continue to have repeat sales. Where they took it to could have gone anywhere, but of course is going to be influenced by the rest of the industry. Color palettes are largely decided by textile manufacturers years in advance for and by the industry. Then the fall collections from the design houses 'make that public'. Look at the Fall Collections on line. You'll see where the JC fall colors came from--the 'story line' about Grey Gardens movie is just a marketing thing, all design collections have a theme, so JC is just copping a more design-house attitude by having a 'story' they are willing to talk about via the video this year. I'm sure they've always had somewhat of a them for every season the last decade, it is de rigeuer now in the industry. And as long as JC uses The Sartorialist as a style guide, as they have admitted they do, it will continue to be a closed loop: media influences itself influences the street influences the design companies, influences the media. So if you are tired of Jenna, JC, The Sartorialist, just look elsewhere, think for yourself, create your own looks from other sources. I am tired of all those things, but I don't blame them for it. I have changed, that's all, and at a different rate than the outside world has. Try Ebay, your local designer consignment store or the many online, maybe some other chain you wrote off long ago suddenly looks fresh to you. (Sorry Anthro is not in that category for me, they rob you blind with their prices and the quality is really poor compared to JC.) BTW JC has the best wools/cashmeres in the industry below couture/designers price point.) I was a Banana person through the 90s, JC was too preppy and too basic for me then. BR changed design teams for the millenium and lost me, the quality went down, the colors and designs not my thing, and it has never come back so far. Around that time J Crew started to have my thing after almost 20 years of it not--that was not my change in that case, but them changing their branding. They moved out of just the preppy thing, and in recent years into a more Euro thing, which is a better taste fit for me. They will change again probably, and maybe will lose me, if only for a season or two. That is the nature of retail. They have lost me with the fall collection, I can't wear those colors. Maybe winter will be better, maybe not. there's always next year. Or some other store. Or Ebay. Or just being content with what I have. How un-American of me.
ReplyDelete