Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Jenna Lyons Back in the News

"Thanks!" to Suzy, Leah, Raina, Molly, as well as Cancan (in this post), who shared the following article from the New York Post (click here to read in its entirety):
J.Crew exec in messy split
October 25, 2011


J.crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons and her artist husband, Vincent Mazeau, are in the middle of a messy divorce after splitting in the summer.


Multiple sources tell Page Six that Lyons -- who is one of America’s most respected fashion businesswomen, earning around $5 million a year working with CEO Mickey Drexler at First Lady Michelle Obama’s favorite fashion retailer -- is going through a bruising battle over her millions and custody of their young son, Beckett.
...

The divorce comes after the couple, who wed in 2002 and shared a Park Slope brownstone, were featured in magazine stories as the ultimate in creative and casual cool. But following the split, we’re told Lyons has fallen in love with another woman who also works in the fashion business.

A source told us Vincent is seeking the house and a sizeable settlement in the divorce, arguing that he gave up aggressively pursuing his career as an artist to stay at home and allow her to develop her successful career. But a friend of Lyons said she supported Vincent as an artist, bought him a studio and gave him a life where he didn’t have to work every day.

Lyons -- who’s well known for her sense of style and once even gave Oprah Winfrey a tour of her closet -- Mazeau and their young son have been photographed by J.Crew for its catalog and Web site. In April, a catalog photo of Lyons, where she was seen painting her son’s toenails neon pink, ignited a scandal that was dubbed “Toemaggedon” by Jon Stewart.

The couple are believed to have reached a custody agreement and are ironing out a settlement in which Mazeau may keep the house, which has been featured in Domino and Livingetc magazines.

A J.Crew spokesperson said, “We do not comment on our associates’ private lives.” Mazeau didn’t get back to us.
It is always sad to hear when a couple gets divorced. I remember how incredibly happy Jenna looked in all her wedding photos. I wish them all well.

34 comments:

  1. She's fallen in love with another woman? Doesn't this seem like tabloid garbage? Seriously though, this is a shame regardless of the details of the situation.

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  2. I was thinking that too, teeny84. It's the NY Post... not exactly a reputable news source.

    But if it's true, it certainly is a shame.

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  4. Very sad to hear this because divorce is hard on everyone involved. Doubly sad also that the media is going to revisit past scandal just to defame character. IE the painting of the toenails, the gross numbers she makes vs her husband......etc. I am going to keep my standards higher and ignore the trash, and support her highest character as a woman, business woman and MOM so to pray she makes it through this also with her highest character in tact.

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  6. Ugh, poor Jenna. Beckett is such an adorable little boy, and I hope that she and her soon-to-be ex can work out a settlement that has his best interests in mind. Very sad.

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  7. Wow, that's sad. What a shame, always awful to see a family breaking apart. :( I hope they can keep things civilized for the sake of their son.

    At the same time, if she initiated the split so that she could be truly happy, then my hat is off to her. It is very, VERY hard to end a marriage when you have a young child together. We all know it does kids no favors to have 2 parents together who fight constantly, yet there is still tremendous pressure, esp. on women, to put their happiness and dreams on the back burner while kids are young. And a lot of the time, that means staying together when you really might be happier alone or with someone else.

    She's a strong woman, and she's smart. And she's very lucky she won't have to worry about supporting her son on her own.

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  8. Sounds like Vincent was a kept man, living the good life. He could still be a stay at home dad and paint. He's probably just bitter that the public sees him in that regard, and that his wife is more well-known. I wonder if there was a prenup.

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  9. I'm not really surprised. But sad for her son.

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  10. I was warned a long time ago: you can have a great job, a great house, and a great relationship. But not all at the same time. Sadly this is still true more often than not.

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  11. wellfedfred-sadly, this is holding true to me as well. I am in a job right now that feels so "me" and earning money and respect, but it so does not work for my family, I am in the process of looking for a new position; I'll be sad to let this go, but I am even sadder to see disharmony in my home life.

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  12. It's sad for everyone involved.

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  13. WFF, that's what I thought too, it reminds me of Tory Burch who divorced as soon as her career reached fashion designer star status. I am so sad for her and her son.

    But if we have to believe the NY Post story that would explain Marissa leaving abruptedly, maybe she is the woman she fell in love with?

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  14. @ Ema: That would definitely go on my Scandalous Romance Christmas Wish List, if only for the chance that they would let some magazine do a photo shoot inside of their apartment. Their closet alone would be the stuff that dreams are made of.

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  15. @Ema
    Just saw this story, and I had the same reaction (re:the other woman)

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  16. Can't say the thought didn't cross my mind either...

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  17. Dammit, thought I had a scoop! Sorry for spamming your other post.

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  18. PS. I thought it was Marissa too.

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  19. Ema, that thought crossed my mind too.

    The timing of this article sure is interesting, though.

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  20. I don't understand why people think this is tabloid nonsense just because Jenna may have fallen in love with someone else - who happens to be female. It DOES happen you know.

    Ending a relationship is always difficult and I can imagine that being in the public eye makes it even harder. I hope they are able to reach an agreement that is as amicable as possible for everyone's sake.

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  21. @pathos, it's particularly difficult to make decisions when you really can't predict the long-term. All you can really know is that you've made the choice that's right for the entire family, now. (if my sister were writing this - rather than I - she'd say "one door closes, another opens.") Me, I've been there and I'm holding a good thought for you.

    More generally, let's remember that when J and V got together, he was an up-and-coming artist and she was a midlevel employee at a company that had an uncertain future - remember JC at that time? Going nowhere, selling wrinkled chinos. When 2 "creatives" get together, neither can predict which career will take off when. There are too many factors beyond anyone's control. A artist can no more plan to have a burst of inspired creativity between Play Date and Bath Time than a Production executive can decide that everyone on that morning's list of calls will be ready to take the call and give a quick answer. And when a relationship craters, it's almost never just one person's fault. So no, I don't think V is a disgruntled boy-toy, nor do I think J is going wild with the perceived attractiveness that too often accompanies power. I just think they've decided that it's over, and I think it's their business.

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  22. I try very hard not to pass judgement on any couple that decides to divorce for any reason because really, there's no way to know what happens behind closed doors. But divorce is always sad, and as a mother of a son who's Beckett's age, my heart goes out to him. I hope everyone involved can find a way to be civil to each other and that Jenna and her ex can pull together to be the best possible parents to their son.

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  23. Does this mean she'll quit "borrowing from the boys" and borrow from the girls again? I want jcrew to design feminine clothing again!

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  25. So I'm reading Gawker and they have a post on this. And someone posts this link to a photo of Marissa on Jenna's lap. Interesting, no?

    http://www.patrickmcmullan.com/site/search.aspx?t=person&s=Marissa+Webb

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  26. This is such sad news, and I feel so bad for Beckett. I really hope that Jenna and Vincent are able to keep things amicable for his sake.

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  27. Christy - LOL! :)

    You all said it so eloquently. Divorce is not ideal but the terror that constant fighting and unease puts in a child's life is equally as bad. If anything she does not need judgement but prayers and understanding. You are all such a classy group of people. I have never seen such a great group of people on an internet forum. Other places there would be bashing and hatred and all kinds of nasty posts by anonymous people.

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  28. When I saw the headline "J. Crew Exec in Messy Split", I clutched my pearls and gasped in horror: Jenna was leaving J. Crew??! Relief came when I saw it was just an item on her personal life, which is her business alone. Anything to do with her inspired work at J. Crew, however, is MY business, and I'm glad she's still helming the styling ship there.

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  29. Someone sent a link to me from the Daily Mail. I'm also hoping their child is protected as much as possible, as all children should be. They're the innocents. This can't possibly mar her career. At least I'd like to think. It's not like being gay or bisexual is big news in fashion.

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  30. I hate that they keep bringing up the toenail painting thing like it was an issue. So silly.

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  31. Here's the People article. her rumored girlfriend is not Marissa.

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  32. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20540374,00.html

    Sorry - here is the article

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  33. Yikes, the other people article. Some mean comments:
    http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20540179,00.html

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  34. Tammy, I am not surprised. People hiding behind the anonymity of the internet tend to say more men things than they would say IRL. Whoever Jenna is with, I wish her happiness.

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