"Thanks!" to many of you, who shared the following email from Madewell this morning.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.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.
This is the weekly "J.Crew Reviews {straight from the JCAs}" post, to help each other share our reviews.This article mainly shares all the tidbits we already know about Mickey Drexler (like his work background, he use of a loudspeaker, mentoring Jenna Lyons, etc.) But it didn't share anything new about him. With that said, the article was still enjoyable. It kind of made me feel like I was there at the table- with the conversation going all over the place. ;)Lunch With J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler
He wears a wrinkly button-down shirt.
By Vanessa Friedman
October 23, 2011
My lunch with Millard S. Drexler, the 67-year-old chief executive of J. Crew, ...turns out not to be a lunch. Or to be more specific: not just a lunch. It’s lunch, followed by a short walk, a couple of emails and two phone conversations.
It begins as just a lunch (a nice, two-hour one at Pulino’s pizzeria in New York) but later Drexler, known as Mickey, emails to say he realises he hasn’t answered one of my questions, has given it some thought and would be happy to discuss it if I want to have a phone chat. ...
“You know,” he says, leaning in, “wherever I go I always ask what the bestseller is. I was just in London, and I went to the Wolseley – have you been there?” I nod; whenever Drexler makes a reference, he always checks to see if you are familiar with it. “Great place, right? Well I was there for breakfast and lunch, and I asked the waiter what the most popular dishes are. Guess what he said?” he looks at me expectantly. I hazard: “Hamburger?”
“No!” he says. “Wiener schnitzel! I didn’t have that, but the guy I was with did; I had the second most popular: Cobb salad.”
Drexler was in London because J. Crew is in international expansion mode: in August they opened their first store in Canada and launched Canadian ecommerce; then they launched ecommerce in the UK and they are in the process of looking for a bricks and mortar space in England; next will come ecommerce in France and possibly Germany. Drexler wants a London store “because it really articulates what the brand is. It’s an emotional, visual experience in a way a catalogue or website is not.” He saw several areas, liked Covent Garden and the East End, but thinks Regent Street is the right place – though he adds, “But maybe I shouldn’t say this publicly? Maybe it’s not good strategy? Oh whatever, I’ll say it anyway.”
This does not surprise me: Drexler is famous for saying things that others in his position might not. It’s part of his not-typical-CEO schtick. For example, when I ask him what J. Crew was like when he arrived, he says, “A company with tasteless goods going nowhere.” He caused a ruckus in the industry a few years ago for getting into a heated argument with Burt Tansky, the lauded chief executive of Neiman Marcus, about whether consumers were going to stop spending and whether or not non-vertically-integrated retailers such as Neiman’s were toast, while they were on a panel together. ...
In the space, Drexler saw opportunity. He installed the loudspeaker system because, he says, “I couldn’t waste a second; I couldn’t be waiting for people to call me back,” and started redefining the brand as understandable, good quality clothes with a fashion edge. He gave significant power to designer Jenna Lyons, who had previously been buried in the women’s creative team, and last month they held their first presentation during New York fashion week; Ikram Goldman, owner of an influential Chicago boutique (and the woman who dressed Michelle Obama and her children in J. Crew) said it was “the freshest thing” she had seen. ...
A big "thanks!" to Marietta who shared the following images with us. They are a preview to the Spring 2012 Collection from... ANN TAYLOR!!!
Many of the pieces instantly reminded me of J.Crew. All those vibrant shades and capris... absolutely lovely!
Super cute bags, shoes, and jewelry in bright candy colors, perfect for Spring!
And there are lots of dresses to make you forget about the cold temperatures...
Can't wait to see what else Ann Taylor offers!
"Thanks!" to many of you, including Jaymie (in this post), who let us know about the following news regarding J.Crew card members:
HOLIDAY rewards cards are being mailed to qualifying card members now! :) The holiday rewards card expires December 15, 2011.So if you are a card member, *check* your mail to see if you got your Rewards Card! :)
"Thanks!" to many of you, including Closet Crisis (in this post), Tiffany Rose (in this post), as well as Irina, who shared the following update from J.Crew this morning.*No exchanges, no returns on items marked as final sale. Offer valid at jcrew.com and J.Crew retail stores only. Offer is not valid at J.Crew Factory stores. Offer does not apply to previous purchases or the purchase of gift cards. Additional 30% off discount applies to J.Crew sale and Factory online sale items only. Offer valid through Thursday, October 27, 2011, 11:59pm ET. Savings are applied at checkout with code OURTREAT. Offer not valid on phone orders. Limit one promotional code per order. Details of offer are subject to change.Some of us have been waiting for this promotion in Sale (click here to shop online), since this offer was already running in J.Crew's brick & mortar stores. A quick look at the Sale section shows that quantities are selling quickly too!
This post (of weekly posts) is for individual members who want to swap/sell/share among yourselves. This post is where you can mention your items and outside listing/ auction site (like eBay and eCrater & the corresponding user ID).
This post (of weekly posts) is for individual members who are looking for and interested in buying certain items. Please feel free to share a J.Crew store location and/or your outside listing/ auction site if it matches the requests made in this post.
If you are stopped by a J.Crew store this past weekend to see what's available (if anything!) in the SUMMER sale, or to see some new FALL arrivals {sigh!} in person, maybe you might be willing to share that with us in this post. In particular, if you could share with us a few of the noteworthy items that are available, at what prices, and potential sizes the store is carrying (as well as the store location)- that would be fantastic!
