show and tell

J.Crew Creative Director Jenna Lyons Loves Phoebe Philo’s Work at Celine, Shuns the Eighties Revival

At J.Crew’s fall 2010 presentation at Milk Studios last night, models wore rugged tweeds, textured tights, and outerwear with Mongolian lamb accents. J.Crew creative director Jenna Lyons described the look as “Edie Beale goes to Girl Scout camp.” The saucer-sized jewelry and homemade headpieces would definitely be at home in Grey Gardens, and Lyons suggested “slapping brooches all over everything” to achieve this eccentric, layered look.

Photo: Courtesy of J. Crew


For spring, which finally seems to be upon us, Lyons likes minimal looks. “I can’t really wear them, but I love all the paler creams,” she gushed. “What Pheobe Philo is doing for Celine is so beautiful. It’s all about the most expensive fabric in the world, the most beautiful tailoring, the biggest bank accounts, and the most beautiful bodies. It’s not going to happen. Those things aren’t working for me.” However, she’s not a fan of the eighties revival, and didn’t escape that decade unscathed herself. “I was committing fashion crime after fashion crime all day long. I had asymmetrical hair. It was bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.”

Lyons recently said she would love to do a designer collaboration with Christian Louboutin for footwear. Last night she came up with a slew of designers she’d like to work with. “Alber Ebaz, Phillip Lim, Riccardo Tisci,” she said. “YSL — I’m dying. I would love to work with Stefano [Pilati]. I’m a huge fashion freak.”

As for celebrity design collaborations? “I would have to say Cate Blanchett. I love her. She’s not a clone. If everyone is wearing cupcake dresses she’s not wearing a cupcake dress, she’s wearing something totally different. Or Maggie Gyllenhaal, I love Maggie Gyllenhaal. She looked incredible at the Oscars in that Dries little column dress.”

J.Crew Creative Director Jenna Lyons Loves Phoebe Philo’s Work at Celine, Shuns the Eighties Revival