J.CrewAholics

The New York Observer just posted a great article about J.Crew’s Creative Director, Jenna Lyons. This is a great piece and really shows how Jenna has influenced the brand.

It’s so funny to see this article because I was contacted by someone at the Observer yesterday. Here is the email below. I kindly wrote back to let them know I was not affiliated with J.Crew

Hi,

I am trying to get in touch with someone at the PR department. I have a request for photos of Jenna Lyons, Michelle Obama and any other celebs recently in J. Crew, and maybe some product shots. This will be feaured in our next issue. Would it be possible to get some press photos sent to me today?

Thanks

I love this quote about the toothpick jeans in the article.

“I work in an office where there are 20-year-old girls walking around, and they wear our toothpick jean; and I’m 40 years old, and I wear our toothpick jean; and my mom is 72, and she wears our toothpick jean,” [Jenna] said.

Style Queen of The Age of Obama
by Meredith Bryan

Once a source for preppy basics, J. Crew is getting a kick in the pants from its creative director, Jenna Lyons (plus a P.R. boost from the first family)

Jenna Lyons, the creative director of J. Crew, was on the phone, discussing her Fashion Week plans. “I would love to go,” she said, her voice streaming buoyantly through the receiver. “Omigod, it would be so much fun.” She was hoping to squeeze the shows of Derek Lam (a friend from Parsons) and Chris Benz (a former J. Crew dress designer) into her schedule. But she had pressing matters to focus on: sketches for the 2009 holiday season, due that day; a Malibu store opening in March; and the company’s sudden heightened visibility after the Obama family J. Crewed their inaugural wardrobe, from the first lady’s green gloves to the president’s white tie to their daughters’ entire outfits.

“I would love to be Alber Elbaz,” Ms. Lyons said, invoking the designer of the high-end French label Lanvin, “but it’s not in the cards!”

At J. Crew these days, thanks in large measure to her influence, chalky pink T-shirts are festooned with girlish chiffon rosettes, and Loro Piano cashmere from Italy (on sale for $125) abuts friendly customer-service counters where brides-to-be pore over their attendants dresses in colors like spiced wine, espresso and tea rose. After a disappointing last quarter of 2008—partly because of the economy; partly because of a botched Web site upgrade that disrupted online orders and left the company with excess inventory—Ms. Lyons is greeting the coming year with optimism, rolling out a frilly spring collection in pale, makeup hues.

Click here to read the rest of the article.