J.Crew's Jenna Lyons in Elle Magazine

A big "thanks!" to Moodboard (check out her amazing "Moodboard" blog) who not only let us know about an article with Jenna Lyons in the latest April 2010 issue of Elle Magazine (click here), but also scanned the image for us to view! (Click on the image above, or here, to see it larger.)

Chain Reaction: Thanks to J.Crew's creative director, Jenna Lyons, the middle's time has come. By staying true to her message, Lyons has proven the best clothes don't have to come with high price tags.
By Alexa Brazilian
April 2010

Lately it seems that shopping at J.Crew is like getting away with fashion murder— the clothes are ridiculously cool, well made, and (how could it be?!) affordable. From the old-lady costume jewelry to the low-riding boyfriend khakis, everything feels just ...right. The brains behind the threads? Jenna Lyons, the brand's creative director, who, since her appointment in 2007, has managed the impossible for a publicly traded fashion chain: to deliver her message, unpolluted by corporate agenda— a feat that no doubt enabled J.Crew to nearly double its outlook for fiscal third-quarter earnings in '09.

"To me, personal style is all there is. You've got to go with what you love," says Lyons who forgoes the trend forecasting reports her predecessors deemed the gospel (she started as an assistant at J.Crew in 1990) and simply designs what she's coveting at the moment. She's tapped some of her real-life muses— seen on blogs, at parties, and even on the street— to model in the March catalogue, and has generated an ever-growing cult following with her monthly product recommendations dubbed "Jenna's picks". Below, Lyons gives us her Spring essentials and explains the genius behind them.

J.Crew's Fireball Cluster Necklace
I was playing with a sparkly black ball from a necklace sample that wasn't quite working. I had just been at the aquarium with my son, Beckett, and I thought, this kind of looks like a jellyfish! My husband took this picture of us amongst them. Internally, we call this the jellyfish necklace.

J.Crew's Lieutenant Jacket
We're all pulling the army jacket out of our closets again. So we decided to make it modern and do it in a blush. The jacket was inspired by a vintage piece we stole off the back of one of our designers.

J.Crew Strip Shirtdress
The colors in this David Hockney are amazing to me. The horizontal stripe on this dress is like the diving board in the painting.

J.Crew Camden Leather Brogues
Everyone was loving our men's oxfords from Fall. We talked about how to make them feminine and soft. This color is from an Illamasqua lipstick— we're obsessed with it right now.

J.Crew's Rose Vines Romper
We had Liberty of London make this print for us. The shape is inspired by an insane taffeta suit. Try it under boyfriend chinos or a high-waisted skirt.

I really enjoyed understanding the inspiration behind certain pieces in the latest collection. Overall, an entertaining article! :)

What are your thoughts on the article? Do you like learning the back stories behind the items in the collection? Are there any tidbits that you found interesting?