My style is all about simplicity and comfort and tailoring. I love classic things, and at 5 feet tall, I look better in clothes that are cut for my body. That doesn’t mean my style is boring. I’m always going for the unexpected when I get dressed. I would rather pair a stack of sparkly bracelets with jeans than a fancy dress because the contrast is what makes it interesting. You’ve got to mix it up.
The best way to develop your own sense of style is to look at what other girls are wearing on the street or in school. That might sound like a contradiction, but style is all about inspiration. When I was a teen, we didn’t have that many celebrity magazines or Web sites to follow the latest fashions. So I used to look at my girlfriends. There was Lynn, the coolest-looking girl, who would throw on these hippie clothes that looked amazing on her, but not on me. Then there was the girl who wore a perfect combat jacket, sending me on a mission to the army and navy store to find the same one for myself. In a lot of ways, we were lucky not to be bombarded with images of celebs. Without a closet full of designer-label clothes and a team of stylists, you can’t get the same look.
You can find style inspiration everywhere, from magazine to girlfriends. The sources of inspiration exploded around me when I left Chicago and arrived in New York City as a young makeup artist. I was working in the fashion industry with the most talented editors, models, photographers, and stylists in the world. I studied them hard as I went through a wild period of experimentation. I went through my Madonna moment and my Joan Jett period until I slowed down and started to see how the really cool stylists would wear a certain pair of slouchy loafers, low-top Converse sneakers, or a big masculine watch (all items that are now staples in my wardrobe). It took a while to hone in on a style that not only looks good but also feels good.
INTERVIEW: JENNA LYONS
TOP STYLIST TELLS ALL
Jenna Lyons is one of the most amazing people working in fashion today. As creative director of J. Crew, she’s in charge of everything from what clothes are sold to how the stores look to the models you see in the catalogs. That’s a huge job, and she does it well. But the coolest thing about jenna is her style: she’s super-eclectic. She can take the basics or something that might have come out of grandma’s closet and make it look new again. She’s further proof that classic doesn’t have to be boring.
When I was in seventh grade, I was 6 feet tall and didn’t fit into anything. So I got a sewing machine and a subscription to Vogue and decided to make a basic skirt. I was so completely unable to find anything in the stores that fit me that it was pure desperation. I remember the fabric exactly—it was a watermelon pattern. It was hard being really tall. I was gawky and not pretty. I had really frizzy hair, and my mom didn’t let me wear makeup. On top of that, I have a genetic disorder so my legs were covered in scars. I made a long skirt to cover my scars, but I was terrified to wear it to school. I didn’t have a lot of friends. Kids can be cruel. I was terrified of everyone and everything. When I wore the skirt to school, someone said she loved it. I felt my walk change. To have someone compliment me on something I wore was life altering. It made me want to do more. That was the start, but it was a long road to becoming confident.
It was a funny mix of California and East Coast. I lived on the West Coast, but I had a stylish East Coast grandmother. She would send me kilts with gold buttons. I’ll never forget wearing a wool kilt with a graphic rock-concert T-shirt for the first day of school in California! No one wore that stuff. Then there were the ’80s, which were a total disaster, but I came out of it.
I found that whenever I wore something I made, people would ask me where I got it. That was so rewarding and exciting, it made me want to do more. There was no Project Runway back then. I did my research and found out about Parsons [a New York City school, which has a renowned fashion department] through an art teacher. I applied, got in, and after graduation worked at Donna Karan. I started at J. Crew nineteen years ago as an assistant to an assistant to an assistant.
I love that every day is completely different. Today we are talking about our holiday shoot in Chile—the locations, how much snow we want to have, and getting the models on a horse ranch. Then I’m going to a new kids’ store that we are opening. Later I have meetings to work on specialty shoes, jewelry, and colors for fall. I wouldn’t be the best person behind a desk.
My closet is insane. It is an entire room in the house. I have two floor-to-ceiling shoe racks that are 6 feet wide and 11 feet high and filled to the gills. The clothes are organized by color, then type. I give away a lot. I am a huge giver-away-er. If I buy five new pairs of shoes, I give five away. My husband is a little bit over it. I get dressed starting with my shoes. I don’t know why I do that. It became a sport with my three-year-old son, Beckett, who chooses the shoes.
The most important thing is to listen and repeat. If someone pays you a compliment because you look great, take note. If you are wearing your hair back or you have a bright red lip on, and someone says you look great, wear that again. It is not about wearing the latest trend. I can’t wear a lot of things. I don’t like my legs, so I don’t wear shorts or short skirts. But I am really tall, so I look really good in skinny pants and high heels. It is about playing with your best strengths.
Everything. Blogs. Cool people on the street. I love people watching. If it were an Olympic sport, I would be a gold medalist. I am addicted to magazines. It is like a sickness.
Buying things on sale is dangerous. It encourages people to buy things that aren’t great for them because they are cheap. You are not going on gut love, but on price. That’s not a great way to build a wardrobe. Buy fewer things, but make them amazing clothes you love.
