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JENNA
LYONS doesn't want to talk about her enviable style - the easy,
perfectly mismatched, layered look that she cultivated and that is
now copied all over the world. She prefers not to think for too
long about what she wears ("The overthinking doesn't go well, the
quicker out the door the better"), but her style is reflected in
the aesthetic of American fashion giant J Crew, of which we
could all learn a few lessons from.
"I'm not prescribed to rules," she said. "I like the tweaking the idea of how something should be; wearing sparkles during the day, or a sweatshirt during the evening, or pairing a man's trouser with a feminine blouse. I like to twist the rules and to allow for that unexpected touch. I like things to feel a touch unfinished; sweatpants with heels, or tennis shoes with a trouser. Those things are important."
J Crew makes its big British store debut next month when it will open its first European flagship premises on Regent Street - for which Shona Heath has designed a temporary shop front, different coloured taxis cast from vintage London cabs that line the store's façade. The brand quietly opened a small menswear boutique in Bloomsbury last week, and it also occupies a small space in Brompton Cross. Lyons still has a few collaborations in the pipeline that will be exclusive to Britain, and she'll also be bringing the brand's newly launched baby line to London.
"We'd been talking about it for a long time," she said. "There were a lot of things we wanted to think about before we went international, shipping was important, but also customer service - when you have to export those things it's not as simple as just opening your doors. The last time I was in London, I was at the airport and someone came up to me and said, 'Are you Jenna Lyons?' I couldn't believe someone in London knew who I was. That meant a lot to me. I want everyone to look beautiful, I want normal people who have normal jobs to be able to wear our clothes - and they can with J Crew."
Although Lyons doesn't think there is a huge disparity on how New Yorkers and Londoners dress, she does admire the style of some of Britain's best known names - from Samantha Cameron to Caroline Issa.
"Samantha Cameron is beautiful and she seems effortless," she said. "She isn't fussy and never overdresses. She's elegant in herself. Especially here, being in that world, where you're thrust in a very formalised way of dressing, she's found a nice niche for herself which must be challenging to do."
Before next month's big celebrations, Lyons has another reason to think about London. She is currently working with Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design on a student project, for which MA students, nominated by MA Fashion course director Louise Wilson, have created a piece of knitwear with the J Crew aesthetic in mind. Yesterday, Lyons flew from New York to London for an 11-hour round trip to offer the students her guidance as they reach the final stages of the brief. The winning designs will be sold in J Crew stores.
"There have been some unbelievably interesting designs," she said. "It's interesting hearing how passionate they get and it's so nice to see really raw work. Getting on the plane, I thought, 'This is going to hurt'. But now I'm here...it's just so inspiring."
But the experience hasn't made her nostalgic about her own student days - for her, the best was still to come.
"I remember when I was at college, I was exhausted and so poor, and I had no idea if I was going to be ok, if I was going to make it. That's a scary place. Things have changed slightly now, but I remember thinking, 'Am I going to be able to do this? Will I be an assistant designer forever?' I'm less scared now. I worked it out in the end."
"I'm not prescribed to rules," she said. "I like the tweaking the idea of how something should be; wearing sparkles during the day, or a sweatshirt during the evening, or pairing a man's trouser with a feminine blouse. I like to twist the rules and to allow for that unexpected touch. I like things to feel a touch unfinished; sweatpants with heels, or tennis shoes with a trouser. Those things are important."
J Crew makes its big British store debut next month when it will open its first European flagship premises on Regent Street - for which Shona Heath has designed a temporary shop front, different coloured taxis cast from vintage London cabs that line the store's façade. The brand quietly opened a small menswear boutique in Bloomsbury last week, and it also occupies a small space in Brompton Cross. Lyons still has a few collaborations in the pipeline that will be exclusive to Britain, and she'll also be bringing the brand's newly launched baby line to London.
"We'd been talking about it for a long time," she said. "There were a lot of things we wanted to think about before we went international, shipping was important, but also customer service - when you have to export those things it's not as simple as just opening your doors. The last time I was in London, I was at the airport and someone came up to me and said, 'Are you Jenna Lyons?' I couldn't believe someone in London knew who I was. That meant a lot to me. I want everyone to look beautiful, I want normal people who have normal jobs to be able to wear our clothes - and they can with J Crew."
Although Lyons doesn't think there is a huge disparity on how New Yorkers and Londoners dress, she does admire the style of some of Britain's best known names - from Samantha Cameron to Caroline Issa.
"Samantha Cameron is beautiful and she seems effortless," she said. "She isn't fussy and never overdresses. She's elegant in herself. Especially here, being in that world, where you're thrust in a very formalised way of dressing, she's found a nice niche for herself which must be challenging to do."
Before next month's big celebrations, Lyons has another reason to think about London. She is currently working with Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design on a student project, for which MA students, nominated by MA Fashion course director Louise Wilson, have created a piece of knitwear with the J Crew aesthetic in mind. Yesterday, Lyons flew from New York to London for an 11-hour round trip to offer the students her guidance as they reach the final stages of the brief. The winning designs will be sold in J Crew stores.
"There have been some unbelievably interesting designs," she said. "It's interesting hearing how passionate they get and it's so nice to see really raw work. Getting on the plane, I thought, 'This is going to hurt'. But now I'm here...it's just so inspiring."
But the experience hasn't made her nostalgic about her own student days - for her, the best was still to come.
"I remember when I was at college, I was exhausted and so poor, and I had no idea if I was going to be ok, if I was going to make it. That's a scary place. Things have changed slightly now, but I remember thinking, 'Am I going to be able to do this? Will I be an assistant designer forever?' I'm less scared now. I worked it out in the end."
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