Jenna Lyons is not your typical fashion icon. She doesn’t follow trends, she sets them.
She doesn’t dress to impress, she dresses to express. She doesn’t shy away from mixing colors, patterns, textures, and styles, she embraces them. She doesn’t conform to the rules of fashion, she breaks them. She’s been an inspiration to many and continues to be an unexpected inspiration to me.
Let’s dial it back a bit. For me, a child of West Indian immigrants growing up in a quite culturally diverse place as Toronto, I was exposed enough to know early on I could seek out inspiration from all corners of the earth. It seems like that is a given today. But back then, I still sought icons who looked, well, like me. Fashion played such a role for me at such a young age. And I was considered “ahead of the curve”. And for that, THANK YOU, JEANNIE BECKER, TIM BLANKS, and ELSA CLENSCH! They set the tone in our house. Countless hours would I dominate the telly with them traveling the globe to uncover “IT.” And there was NO Wiki and no Google. So reading those heavy-assed books from the library on the bus from school was my jam. And for that, I thank you, PUBLIC TRANSIT, AND THANK YOU Public Library, and thank you even more for making many a librarian, amidst the backdrop of those damn heavy books, a solid inspiration from my youth. The formula of slicked back hair, oversized, thick-rimmed statement glasses, the pout, and twinning knitwear with awkward pairings rounded out the look of librarian chic.
Cut to Jenna Lyons, who is the queen of quirky style, and she has been for decades. Her quirky librarian, awkward yet effortlessly ensembled chic made strange yet familiar bedfellows with me as I began to follow the new omnipresence of her aesthetic at J.Crew. As the former executive creative director and president, she transformed the brand from a preppy staple into a fashion powerhouse with her signature blend of classic and eclectic elements. She made J.Crew cool, and in the process, she made herself a household name.
But Jenna’s style is more than just clothes. It’s a reflection of her personality, her vision, and her story. Jenna has faced many challenges in her life, from being bullied as a child for her genetic disorder that caused skin scarring and hair loss1, to going through a divorce and coming out as bisexual2, to leaving J.Crew after 27 years and starting over in a new career3. Through it all, she has used fashion as a way to cope, to communicate, and to celebrate. And I thought, How me is she?
Given all of that, she managed to inspire. She is not afraid to show her flaws and her vulnerabilities, as the rest of us are. And her emotions through her #OOTD. She is not afraid to experiment with different looks while playing with proportions and silhouettes and having fun with fashion. She is not afraid to be herself or to inspire others to do the same. Some of Jenna’s signature style elements include:
- A red lip: Jenna never leaves the house without a red lip4, which adds a pop of color and confidence to any outfit. She recently collaborated with Beauty Pie on a lipstick collection called Unlipstick4, which features eight shades of sheer and conditioning lipsticks that can be layered for different intensities.
- A button-down shirt: Jenna is obsessed with button-down shirts4, which she wears in various colors, patterns, and fabrics. She has them custom-made by Ascot Chang4, a Hong Kong-based tailor that specializes in bespoke shirts. She likes to pair them with jeans, skirts, or suits, and sometimes layers them under sweaters or dresses.
- Vintage jeans: Jenna only wears vintage jeans4, preferably old men’s Levi’s that fit her tall frame better. She likes the rigid denim and the worn-in feel of vintage jeans, which contrast nicely with her more polished pieces. She also likes to cuff them or cut them off for a casual touch.
- Fake lashes: Jenna doesn’t have natural lashes due to her genetic condition1, which is what inspired her to create her own brand of eyelashes called LoveSeen4. The brand offers a range of natural-looking faux lashes that are easy to apply and comfortable to wear.
- A mix of high and low: Jenna is known for mixing high-end and low-end pieces in unexpected ways. She likes to pair designer items with thrift store finds or expensive accessories with cheap basics. She also likes to mix different styles, such as feminine and masculine or formal and casual.
Jenna Lyons is more than just a style maven. She is a creative force, a businesswoman, a television personality, and most importantly, an authentic human being. She has shown us that style is not about following rules or fitting in, but about expressing yourself and having fun. She has shown us that quirky is cool, feminine is powerful, and awkward is beautiful and brave.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/fashion/a2023/08/24/taste-jenna-lyons-housewives/ My lady’s got IT, my friends. For me she has inspired a new mini capsule for my #zero-waste sister brand of fashion available at thestyleminr.com, called vir-go’ #ComingSoon later this year. For this, we’ve cobbled together and upcycled original J.Crew pieces—the pieces that genuinely came from the attic of my parents’ downsizing efforts, still in original pre-owned condition (because if not fashion-forward style, J.Crew’s team of designers had a brilliant textile director who did far beyond their due diligence in selecting durable, sustainable, and quality materials perfectly suited for me doing my job in upcycling and loving them once again)—which are available to you as one-off original pieces. And for this, THANK YOU, Jenna.
-the styleminr
***Pieces from the vir-go’ collection for Jenna, is coming soon. Some are available for pre-sale at:
poshmark.ca/closet/thestyleminr