December 2013

If your wardrobe is anything like mine, colored clothing is nonexistent. It is a very rare day that I am not in black and white head to toe. But, with a quick look at J.Crew’s latest collection, my brain started picturing the endless possibilities of a little print or color fun in my closet.

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Jenna Lyons, the ultimate fashion maven and Creative director of J. Crew, has brought a resurgence to the otherwise classically preppy brand in the last few years. While we all envy Lyons closet, we can now have a little sliver of her everyday style. When we flip through the pages of the latest lookbook, our eyes rest on pictures of models wearing leather baseball hats paired with playful color-blocked sweaters and jacquard pants. Who else could pull this together? I am not sure.

Before the influence of Jenna at J.Crew, these outfits would have ended up in the “What Not to Wear” pages at the back of magazines. Now, it’s considered a personal statement and risk taking is praised. It isn’t just the clothes that I admire Lyons for, but her head strong attitude. She doesn’t let the trends dictate her own style, (maybe because SHE dictates the trends herself…) and was at the forefront of making it acceptable for women to dress in styles typically reserved for men. She has taken menswear and feminized it. If there is anyone to admire in the fashion world, I would have to pick Jenna.

Personally, I am excited to see what the future holds for Jenna and J.Crew. This coming spring, I will definitely be taking a cue out of Lyons playbook.