Jenna Lyons is the ultimate authority on style, offering tips on everything from embracing imperfection to creating bespoke button-downs that fit just right. The entrepreneur and TV star has been a fashion icon for decades, influencing women’s style with her expert advice. In the season finale of “The Good Buy,” Jenna shares her secrets to investing in timeless pieces, finding the perfect fit, and embracing personal style—including her chic 'RHONY' looks and her philosophy on avoiding perfection. Watch as she breaks down her system for categorizing her 65-80 pairs of jeans, reveals her 400-pair shoe collection, and recounts the Prada shopping spree that had her ex-husband convinced she’d bought a car.
Listen to “The Good Buy” Vodcast on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-good-buy/id1778702915
Listen to “The Good Buy” Vodcast on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Npiwtz747oXVGA4rQRf3z
#JennaLyons #TheGoodBuy #BAZAAR
Listen to “The Good Buy” Vodcast on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-good-buy/id1778702915
Listen to “The Good Buy” Vodcast on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Npiwtz747oXVGA4rQRf3z
#JennaLyons #TheGoodBuy #BAZAAR
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PeopleTranscript
00:00Hello, everyone, and welcome to The Good Buy, a new podcast from Harper's Bazaar where we
00:05invite celebrities, designers, models, and tastemakers to talk shop. What they buy, where
00:11they got it, and why it matters.
00:13Hi, I'm Lynette Nylander, Executive Digital Director of Harper's Bazaar.
00:20And I'm Leah Chernikoff, the Executive Editor at Harper's Bazaar. And this is The Good Buy.
00:26Our final guest for our first season of The Good Buy is someone whose influence can be
00:30felt in the very fabric of our culture.
00:32During her tenure as President and Executive Creative Director at J.Crew, she became known
00:38as the woman who dressed America.
00:40In her post-J.Crew life, she has launched a beauty brand. She is currently a beloved
00:45cast member of The Real Housewives of New York, where she has brought her own brand
00:50of New York smarts and fashion savvy to the series. In a sea of sparkling gowns, she will
00:55explore jeans, she's wearing jeans right now, to the Reunion Peeps, which was a franchise
01:00first.
01:01Please welcome to The Good Buy, we are so happy to have you, Jenna Lyons.
01:04Yay!
01:05Thank you. I'm honored to be your final guest for your first season.
01:08Final guest, first season. And I honestly, I can't think of anyone better because you've
01:15got the style DNA, the way to put an outfit together down. Well, how would you describe
01:20your shopping philosophy? Like, how do you go out into the world and bring back treasures
01:26that you love?
01:27I don't love online shopping because to me, so much of what I love about clothing is,
01:32you can't really feel fit and you can't feel fabrics in the same way you can in real life.
01:37And there's nothing better than like putting something in a dressing room. You know that
01:39feeling when you come out and everyone looks at you and they're like, yes, you know it.
01:45And I do think that I understand online shopping and what it does, but it takes away a little
01:50bit of the magic and the experience and the appreciation for the clothing. And I do like
01:55that you can buy anything anywhere, but I know I really want to touch and feel.
01:59Yeah.
02:00Will you tell us a little bit too about your approach to style? Just, I mean, like every
02:04day when you go out in the world, how you use clothes to tell your story or to be who
02:08you want to be in that moment. I mean, I've always thought of clothing as a little bit
02:13of an armor, in which case it can be a point of vulnerability. If you're feeling hot and
02:19sexy, then maybe there's fewer clothes or more reveal. Or if you're feeling like you
02:23need a little bit of, I don't know, armor or something to give you distance. What's
02:28interesting to me is that, you know, I had, I've had a big shift in my approach to clothing
02:35since coming out as not straight anymore. Okay. And what I realized is that the more
02:41I dressed for a man, the less attracted they were to me. And the more I dress for women
02:46or like my, now myself, the more attention I got from men, which I'm very surprised by
02:52is completely different than what I would have expected.
02:55That is such a interesting observation. I once was wearing like a back chevre dress,
03:02which is a, you know, a New York brand. It's very, um, uh, demure, a very, yeah, it's covered
03:08up. Yeah. Uh, conservative, I guess. And it's not like figure hugging at all. I got hit
03:13on the most. Where are you just like really feeling yourself in it? Cause that has to
03:18be part of it too, right? Do you feel more comfortable?
03:20I think that I, this is my belief and I, it could be completely wrong, but I think there's
03:25a, there's a telegraph that comes across when you are dressing to like get a man's approval.
03:32I find I settle in and I'm not, I'm not trying to get a date. I'm not trying for anything.
03:36I'm not trying to get your attention so I can just have a conversation. And I think
03:40it, it shifts the dialogue and shifts the, the actual like force field and it makes a
03:46big difference. And so I'm not surprised that you were hit it on. Like there's something
03:50you become, it's just about you and it's not about that desire or, and, and it's amazing
03:56because I think if you look at women's sexy clothing, it's like a lot, I remember it was
04:01so intimidating to feel like I had to, you know, do all the stuff with my legs and my
04:09body. And it's like, when I put on a suit, I get more attention than when I wear a dress.
04:13We should talk about what you're wearing today, actually. What is, what's happening?
04:17I have, oh, thank you. I have all my shirts made because I'm an unusual size. And once
04:22I had the experience of having my shirt made, I realized it's, it's something that's often
04:28reserved for men. And I wish that women, A, knew how, and it was something that they considered
04:33they could do. I take all of my friends to get shirts made. Like, that's my thing.
04:37Where do you go?
04:38I go to Ascot Chang. They are a shirt maker. They, when I first went to Hong Kong, when
04:43I was 22, it was my very first trip for J.Crew. And there was an Ascot Chang in the hotel
04:48that I was staying in. And I was like, this is the best thing ever. And the quality of
04:53the shirt, you can pick any fabric you want. You can pick any style. They have, they bring
04:56out all of the collars, all of the cuffs. You get to pick your monogram. So I have all
05:01different versions.
05:02I know, I was noticing it peeking out.
05:03This is my little, the crown with the J, but I have other ones and you can do whatever
05:06you want.
05:07And, and it fits perfectly. So for like, for instance, like people who have like maybe
05:13big boobs, like they're constantly worried about the shirts unbuttoning, but you can
05:15go and have it made perfectly for you, but then it will still be perfect in your arm.
05:19You can have a French cuff, you know, you can do whatever you want. And I think that
05:23level of bespoke experience is something that is often reserved for men, which I think is
05:26a total shame. So yeah, but, um, the jacket, I went to an Hermes sample sale. I've never
05:33been to an Hermes sample sale in my life. And this year I had a big sale of my own.
05:37And so I got on a list of sample sales, which I was insanely excited about. Have you ever
05:41been to the Hermes sample sale?
05:43I have not. I missed it this year.
05:45I thought about it too, but I didn't, we did, we did do our damage.
05:49It's like you walk in, they gave you a glass of champagne. There's classical music playing.
05:53Martha Stewart is over here looking at the cashier. I'm like, how have I never been to
05:57this before? It's an experience. I loved it. Anyway. So I of course went to the men's section.
06:02So I got, it was marked down from some stratospherical price to a less stratospherical price. And
06:10then the jeans, I use this woman called Jean Genie. So she actually has, uh, you know,
06:16she searches for jeans and she'll basically send me a box and then whatever I don't like
06:19I send back and she does it periodically. So these are my, I have all different categories.
06:24I have slouchy, no rips. This is the slouchy, no rip category. Uh, the tie, I don't know
06:29I have 8 million ties. I don't know where this is from. Oh, Drake's, which is also
06:32a men's company. And I think that's it. I'm not, Oh, the loafers are the row and the socks
06:37are Tom Brown. I think that's it. And the glasses. Oh, Dita. This is from, I did, these
06:44are glasses that I've been wearing for a hundred years, but they stopped making them and everyone
06:47would ask me where I got them. And so I finally was like, can you guys please just remake
06:51them? So if you would like to get a pair of, they just launched, you can get, this is a
06:54special color. And then there's another, another color. It's like a dark charcoal with a mirror.
06:58So what are your categories of jeans? That's a good question. Um, so there's slouchy, like
07:06clean. So no, like just oversized slouchy boyfriend clean. And that's, that's a big
07:11category. And then there's slouchy, but like thrashed, which are not too many rips, but
07:16they have to be authentic and they can't be, so they're never fake. I won't buy, I don't
07:20buy. You don't do a stretch. No, she doesn't do like a stretchy denim. Like it's real denim.
07:26Anything that's like purposefully distressed. It has to be all done naturally.
07:31But I also don't wear stretch denim at all. Like that's not something that enters my house.
07:36Like I have a problem. I don't want skinny jeans on anyone ever. That moment has passed.
07:41And if they come back, sorry, I just, it's just not my thing. And I don't, I don't have a
07:45problem with them. I just, not my thing. I just, um, and then I have a rigid faded, narrow
07:52straight, but they have to be like faded, no rips. And then there's, then there's narrow
07:57faded rip a little bit tiny. And then there is, um, like what I would call like white
08:03cream, like anything in the natural phase that there's, and then, God, I have a lot.
08:07And then I have like wide, like oversized, like big, like oversized soft, but those are
08:11harder to find.
08:13And these are all, I'm sorry, the shock and awe on my face. These are all categorized in
08:18your closet as such. Yeah. These, okay. So they exist as departments. Yeah. Within the
08:23denim department. In Jenna's closet. Yeah. Yeah. But it's, I mean, it's important. Yes.
08:29How many pairs do you think you have? Drum roll for the number.
08:34I don't know. I'm uncounted. In my, in my closet or including storage?
08:38Oh my God. Yeah. We have to do two.
08:41I mean, easily like 65, 80. So it's somewhere between there.
08:45In your closet right now.
08:46In my closet right now, probably 40 and then between storage. Cause I, sometimes they like a
08:52fit. You don't, you're over it. Cause like there's high-waisted it before I was wearing
08:55things that were a little more slouchy, but there's definitely high-waisted clean. I have
08:58high-waisted a little bit faded. I've high-waisted black, high-waisted white.
09:02Like do you do dark denim ever?
09:05Not as much. Dark if it's real. If it's just, if it's just rigid clean. Yeah. That's the
09:09rigid clean. Okay. It's Japanese APC or vintage Levi's and that's kind of it.
09:13Okay. That's what I was going to ask too.
09:14The Japanese make denim like an art form. It's, it's, it's masterful how they do it.
09:19And the salvage and the way that they can tailor them and cuff them. I went to Japan
09:23and had a pair of jeans tailored and it was, it's really like an eye-opening experience.
09:27You're like, Oh, this is what it should be like.
09:29Well, it's sadly, they bought all the machinery from the United States. Like we let this
09:33whole tradition go. It's so sad to me because all of those salvage machines were from the
09:38United States. I know. I know. I don't know what we were thinking.
09:41Knowledge. You don't just get a podcast folks. You get an education.
09:46Right. I don't know about that. That's all I got.
09:49No, there will be more.
09:50I think like, it's really interesting when you bring up denim because I think about you,
09:54if I close my eyes, I think about you and I think about your iconic style moments, whether
09:58it be the denim jacket with the pink silk skirt. That was the Met Gala moment that I
10:05think about. Of course, you at the Real Housewives, Real Housewives of New York reunion for
10:13the new Roni because it was the first of the new Ronis and you're wearing jeans.
10:20And that was controversial because it was jeans.
10:23I had no idea.
10:25If you look at the very first season of the Real Housewives, they're sitting in a backyard
10:29in Orange County and they're all wearing like bell-bottom jeans.
10:32So like, let's not forget where we came from, folks.
10:35It has shifted over time, but like, things could change.
10:38We're just returning to the housewife roots.
10:40Right? I was like, I'm taking it back.
10:42It was amazing to me the way people responded.
10:45People were like, you know, this is not appropriate.
10:47And I was like, who wrote the rules?
10:49Like, you want me to wear a sequin dress?
10:51I don't think that's why they hired me.
10:54Yeah.
10:55Housewives have taken on like, it's a real specific kind of look.
10:58Yeah.
10:58And you stayed true to your style in a way that was like, it was really kind of singular
11:05to watch in context.
11:07And I wondered how you approached it when you decided to go on it and decided what you
11:11were going to wear for the camera.
11:12Well, I think, I mean, it's an interesting question.
11:15And I think it wasn't that, I think they were very clear to me.
11:19They're like, listen, we're not, we're asking you, they wanted to do something different.
11:23They didn't want to create another version of what had been.
11:25And they were like, listen, we would like to have a more diverse visual for people.
11:29And also we would like the show to reflect New York.
11:32And so I think, you know, the show up until then hadn't really been that.
11:35It had been, you know, all a very similar age, all white, all kind of similar dress.
11:41Yeah.
11:42Even geography.
11:42Exactly.
11:43They all lived in New York.
11:44And so they were like, okay, we would like to have someone who is, you know, Hispanic.
11:48We would like to have someone who's gay.
11:49We would like to have someone who's younger, older, like all of that.
11:52And so it was clear to me that the idea was like, we want you to be yourself.
11:56So I didn't feel the pressure to dress like someone else.
12:00I don't want to wear head to toe sequins.
12:02And, you know, they would always ask me what my outfit was ahead of time, like we'd like to plan.
12:06And I'm like, I'm sorry, I don't really plan my outfits ahead of time.
12:08I'll just decide the morning of.
12:09And they're like, you're not going to plan an outfit?
12:11I'm like, I'm not really great at planning outfits, not my forte.
12:14And so it was this constant, but I realized that by not planning and not telling them,
12:20it gave me even more freedom because they always wanted to know.
12:22And I was like, yeah, you're not going to, sorry.
12:25It was actually really, it was easy, honestly.
12:28I mean, I didn't felt, I never felt pressure to wear sequins.
12:32And yeah, I mean, it shows your style kind of shines through.
12:36It does. I mean, that's what was so exciting to watch.
12:38It's just like, oh yeah, that's who I want to dress like.
12:42At your time at J.Crew, you completely revolutionized, you know, so much.
12:46You revolutionized American dressing.
12:49You revolutionized kind of the dichotomy and the balance of an outfit.
12:55I think about a cashmere sweater with a sequin skirt.
12:58Or I think about, of course, a t-shirt with a sequin.
13:01T-shirts and sequins.
13:03The one thing that's nice is that when I was doing this and starting out,
13:05like the internet kind of didn't really, like, that wasn't a thing, you know?
13:10And so it was a much more kind of like insular process.
13:13And we spent a lot of time just like playing with things.
13:16But it's funny because oftentimes it's all about mixing.
13:19And you mentioned contrast.
13:20It's not that dissimilar from like home stuff.
13:23So like sometimes it's not a physical outfit that will be inspiring.
13:27It's like a picture of someone's house.
13:28And like they've got, you know, a red velvet couch with a mint wall.
13:32And I'm like, red and mint.
13:33That's a gorgeous color.
13:35Like it's not always the thing you think.
13:37It's sometimes it has nothing to do with an outfit.
13:41And sometimes it does.
13:42Sometimes you see someone, you're like, damn.
13:44I love like old pictures of Charlotte Rampling.
13:46And, you know, like Paul Newman had the most incredible style.
13:50And Cate Blanchett can do no wrong on my part.
13:52But there's always an element of something off and something that's not perfect.
13:56There's a lack of like…
13:59American fashion is very polished, you know?
14:01People go to the carpet.
14:03They have full hair and makeup and the spray tan and all the things.
14:07Yeah, it's very done.
14:07And it's very done.
14:08And there's never that thing that pulls it off.
14:10And I don't do very well in that scenario.
14:13Like I always feel I'm never going to look perfect because it's just not who I am.
14:17So like I don't…
14:18I kind of want to push it and make sure that it's clear that I'm not trying to be perfect.
14:22Hence the sweater and the sequins and the denim and the satin.
14:26Like that's a little bit of an acknowledgement of like,
14:29I can't be perfect.
14:29So I'm not going to try.
14:31Well, it's pretty damn perfect not being perfect.
14:34I think you're so good at like finding that thing that just feels like you.
14:39Another thing I constantly think about when I think about your style
14:43is this commitment to the most beautiful accessories.
14:47I mean, clutch bags have…
14:51You have found the world's best clutch bags.
14:53They are in Jenna Lyons' closet.
14:55That's the boutique.
14:55I sold a lot of them.
14:57Oh, well.
14:57Oh, at the sample sale.
14:59Talk to me about the accessories.
15:01I mean, I think it's a little bit of the same thing as like…
15:05Like if I'm wearing a traditional suit,
15:07like I want the sparkliest bag in the world
15:09because I do want something offer sparkly.
15:12So if the outfit is sparkly, then the bag is tailored.
15:15But I also like had a chance to collect them over time.
15:19And that's like, that's one of the things I love about fashion.
15:22It's like, it kind of rotates.
15:25Oftentimes the thing that is in the back of my closet that I haven't looked at
15:28all of a sudden is the thing I can't wait to wear.
15:30On the goodbye, the podcast,
15:32we love to talk about all the different buys that one,
15:37you know, looks for and looks to.
15:39And the very first question we always ask is,
15:41what was your first buy?
15:42What was something that you always remember
15:45that a purchasing that made you,
15:49that fulfilled a certain part of you that was like,
15:51yes, I got it.
15:52I mean, I think I have probably two moments.
15:56I think the first time I ever got like,
15:58you know, I didn't grow up with money.
15:59My mom's a piano teacher.
16:00We didn't get like fancy.
16:02That was not in the cards.
16:03And so the first bonus I ever got,
16:05I think I got like $5,000 when I was,
16:08I don't know, 25 or something.
16:10And it was in the heyday of Marc Jacobs.
16:12And those bags with the big buckles on them.
16:15And I remember going down to the store
16:17and buying a bag and a matching wallet.
16:19And that was like that thing.
16:21I'd never had a designer bag in my life.
16:23I'd never been able to afford the bag and the wallet at the same time.
16:26And I remember walking out of that store
16:29and just being like, that felt like,
16:31I don't know, I cherished that bag.
16:34I loved it so much.
16:35I just sold it at the sample sale recently,
16:37which is, or my, whatever personal.
16:38You parted with it?
16:39I did.
16:40Because it's been sitting in my car.
16:41I was like, what am I doing?
16:43What am I going to do with all of this stuff?
16:45Like, and the best part about doing that sale
16:47was I was at the ballet one night
16:50and this guy is in front of me wearing
16:52a black suit with like sequins,
16:54like in sort of a, I don't know,
16:57what do you call that?
16:58A C-shape pattern.
17:00I can't think.
17:01Scallop pattern.
17:04And he turns around, I'm staring at him
17:06and he turns around and he has a bag in his hand
17:09and it's a beautiful bag.
17:10That's got all this sort of spark,
17:12inlaid sparkly kind of bakelite stuff in it.
17:14And I look at that bag and I'm like,
17:15I recognize that bag.
17:16And he turns on, he looks at me and he goes,
17:18It's yours.
17:19Oh my God.
17:20And I looked at the bag and I'm like,
17:21oh my God, it was the bag
17:22that he had just purchased at my store.
17:24That's amazing.
17:25I was like, this is why I sold these things.
17:27Because I'm not wearing them.
17:28I can't wear all of this.
17:29And now it gets another life.
17:31And someone...
17:31And then you have a connection with someone.
17:33It's amazing.
17:33It was the best thing.
17:34That's so cool.
17:35It was, I couldn't believe it.
17:36He and I, he was excited.
17:37I was excited.
17:37He's like, can we take a picture?
17:38I'm like, of course.
17:39I'm so excited to see this.
17:40And I don't know, it just made me really happy.
17:41That's awesome.
17:41And now hopefully whoever bought that Marc Jacobs bag
17:44hears this story and knows like how special it was.
17:48Yeah.
17:48Some other girl bought a Balenciaga bag
17:50that I'd sold and it had my ID still in it.
17:52Yeah, I saw that online, yeah.
17:54And I just love this because it really kind of impresses upon,
18:01you know, buying well.
18:02If you do buy things that are like...
18:04I think women that love fashion get a bad rap.
18:07I think we're, you know, oh, we just love buying.
18:10Look, these things go on and they hold value
18:14and they hold desire and people want them.
18:16And it's exciting that somebody,
18:18like that bag is still interesting
18:21and comfortable to someone.
18:24Totally.
18:24I also think there's like a sense of history
18:27and honoring like a craft.
18:29I agree with you.
18:30I think people get a bad rap for like collecting things.
18:32People are always like, how many shoes do you have?
18:33And I'm like, they're my friends.
18:36Yeah, but how many?
18:38I mean, oh, I've sold quite a few,
18:41but I have easily over 400 shoes.
18:44But again, 27 years in the industry,
18:4627 years of collecting.
18:48It's like, if you wouldn't ask a photographer
18:51like how many pictures or how much film,
18:52it's like, it's part of my history.
18:55It's part of my experience.
18:56It's part of what I love.
18:58Like it is important.
18:59Yeah, it brings you joy.
19:01I always like, you know,
19:02art always seems like intimidating
19:03to like start collecting and people always say,
19:05well, you just buy what you love.
19:07But it's really the same with fashion too.
19:09It's like that bag brought you so much joy
19:11for such a long time.
19:12Yeah, I mean, Hamish Bowles has tons of women's clothing
19:14and he collects it because he reveres it.
19:17It like means something to him.
19:19It has a place in history.
19:20He loves the craft.
19:21He loves how it was made.
19:22It speaks to him, but he's not wearing it.
19:24And I don't think it matters, you know,
19:26and that's different.
19:27Whereas as a woman, if we collect it,
19:28we're like, it's too much.
19:30And I think-
19:31Oh, right.
19:31You're always doing this calculus and it's like-
19:33Totally.
19:34Because there's the shame.
19:35Yes.
19:36Because of the patriarchy.
19:37Oh, for sure.
19:39We can go on about that.
19:40And I just think, yeah,
19:41we all need to just free ourselves of,
19:43I think from all the things that you could be addicted to,
19:46a shoe, a bag, what's the harm?
19:48Right.
19:49It takes care of your feet
19:50and gets you from point A to B
19:51and maybe your feet are happier at the end.
19:53I don't know.
19:54Would you collect anything?
19:56I'm probably cut from the same cloth as you.
19:59I do have a lot of shoes, bags.
20:02I mean, clothes in general.
20:03Yes.
20:03And I'm a bit more specific in like,
20:08there's certain designers that I really enjoy.
20:10Who is that?
20:10Calm and Juniors.
20:12Just, I remember when I was 15, 16
20:15and I would go to the original Dover Street Market
20:17that was on Dover Street
20:18and I had not a penny,
20:20but going around that store,
20:21it's like an art museum
20:22and you can just look around.
20:23And so I think I'm paying myself back
20:27for all the years I couldn't afford.
20:28And I love it.
20:29Are you a collector?
20:31No, not in the same way.
20:32I mean, I love it.
20:33And I do tend to like gravitate
20:35towards the same things over and over again.
20:37And like, I'm like always looking
20:39for the same pair of pants
20:40and I buy them over and over again.
20:41Like I love like a beautiful pleat front trouser.
20:45So I will look for them everywhere.
20:47And mostly the Ro makes the ones that I love the most.
20:51I'm sorry for your bank account.
20:53People cleaned me up,
20:54but I was also really happy about that.
20:56And it's testament to your style.
20:58I mean, so few people could get,
21:01you know, the New York girls out in,
21:04you know, en masse.
21:06And yeah, it's testament
21:07to kind of your great curation.
21:09But to that point,
21:11is there anything you've ever regretted buying?
21:14Yeah.
21:15Let's talk about that.
21:16Oh my God.
21:17Oh God.
21:18I mean, I've so, I've so gone over.
21:22I mean, I don't know if I have enough time for that.
21:23I think I really regret there was a period,
21:26like the whole like low slung jean period.
21:30Like I just, I wanted to be a part of it.
21:33My body just did not want to participate.
21:36I had like so many things I never should have worn.
21:38And I also like I'm shaped not,
21:40I don't do well in like that whole skin.
21:43It just was not good for me.
21:44And I regret some of my purchases.
21:45I regret some,
21:47I got, I bought a really expensive jacket
21:51at Miu Miu once that was pink shearling,
21:53but it had short sleeves.
21:54It was beautiful.
21:55I think I was just depressed
21:57and like did not need to buy that thing.
21:58And it was very expensive.
21:59And I think I wore it once.
22:01I mean, I have a lot.
22:01I mean, there's a long list.
22:03There's so many things.
22:04Most of the time it has been like therapy shopping
22:06that I have regretted
22:07where I've like been trying to fill a hole.
22:11And then I just made a hole bigger.
22:13My worst, I would say the worst thing I ever did
22:15was after I had my son,
22:17I was, I didn't go shopping for like 14 months
22:20because I was just work,
22:21I was at home and I was working a lot from home.
22:24And I, that's a long time for me not to buy anything.
22:27And I remember Mickey, my boss was like,
22:30we're going to Stade, do you want to come?
22:31And we can just like,
22:33cause we were getting ready for the holiday season.
22:34It's always nice to go someplace that's the temperature
22:37we're going to be designing for
22:38because you kind of,
22:39when you can, it's helpful to get your head out
22:41and just like see people dressed up and crazy out,
22:43you know, Stade.
22:44I'm like, great, let's go to Stade.
22:45I got off the plane and I was like,
22:48I was a rabid dog.
22:50And I went to the Prada store
22:52and I found myself buying a full length gown,
22:55which I have never ever in my life
22:58worn a full length gown.
22:59I love.
23:00Gloves, a beautiful little leather bag,
23:03which I still have.
23:05And a mink jacket.
23:08I get back to my hotel room
23:09and I call my now ex-husband
23:11and he said, did you buy a car?
23:14Oh, it was like flagged.
23:15I thought he was going to say like,
23:16have you been like robbed?
23:18It was like flagged on the credit card or something.
23:20Yeah. Well, so I made a little mistake in the,
23:23I was just delirious and probably so excited.
23:25And I kept thinking that it was half the price,
23:27but it was actually two times.
23:29Euros.
23:30Yeah.
23:32It was a little bit of mommy brain.
23:33Yeah.
23:34And so I, yeah, he was like, what happened?
23:37Mommy brain.
23:38I like that.
23:39I was, yeah.
23:42So there was that.
23:43And I, so yeah, I came home with,
23:46yeah, I came home with a lot of stuff
23:47that I really didn't need.
23:48I never wore that dress not once.
23:49The jacket that I wore,
23:50I wore when I went to Solange's wedding
23:52and that was the picture that sort of got,
23:55have been repeated over and over again
23:57with the shirt and the feather skirt
23:58and that little jacket.
23:59So like that got a lot of play.
24:01So I'm, I did not regret that one.
24:03They had moved the time of the wedding up an hour.
24:06Yes. I've heard about this.
24:07And we had been, we had been out
24:10and the rehearsal dinner was the night before.
24:13Everyone, all of us, her included,
24:14have been up till four in the morning.
24:16And I remember, and our room was pitch black.
24:19And I remember hearing my phone buzzing
24:21and I picked up the phone and I'm looking at it
24:23and I'm scrolling through
24:25and I start to see a text from my friend,
24:27Sarah, who's also going to the wedding.
24:28She's like, did you see the email?
24:29And I'm like, no.
24:29And I look at the email.
24:30It's one o'clock.
24:31They've moved the wedding from three to two.
24:33It's one o'clock.
24:33Oh, you have 10 minutes.
24:35We are, I threw my clothes on
24:37and put my lipstick on in the car
24:39and threw my hair.
24:40So the fact that that look has been repeated
24:42and gotten so much,
24:43I just pick up this kind of hysterical
24:44because it was like slapdash and run out the door.
24:47It was hysterical.
24:48Well, that's just like, if you have the pieces,
24:51look what you can do.
24:52Yeah.
24:52I always say, get pieces that work really hard for you.
24:56And then getting dressed in the morning is really easy.
24:58Like, that's why I like Love.com
25:00because it's interesting in and of itself.
25:03And then I just have to put it on, you know?
25:05That's great.
25:06Jenna, what is something that you buy on repeat?
25:09Is there anything that you have a subscription to maybe?
25:11Or is there just something that you always like?
25:13A t-shirt, a hoodie?
25:15It doesn't, it could be something.
25:15Well, the tailored shirts too.
25:17Yeah, the tailored shirt seems to be your repeat buy.
25:19The tailored shirts for sure.
25:20And then there's these t-shirts from a company
25:22called Everybody World.
25:23Do you know this company?
25:24Yes, I do.
25:25They're just great t-shirts.
25:27And I have to say, like the fabric is a little thicker
25:30and the fit and the cut, I love.
25:32And they're all made from recycled.
25:33Like, I'm just into them.
25:34It's one for you.
25:34I know, it is one for me.
25:35It's a really good shape.
25:37And they're good, big or small.
25:39So they work when they're bigger
25:41and the kids love them and I love them.
25:43And they're not really, they're kind of unisex.
25:45And I don't know, I'm super into it.
25:47They're great price.
25:49That's a good tip.
25:50We were going to ask before,
25:51when we were talking about your shirts,
25:54like about getting clothes made for you.
25:56And that's come up a lot on this podcast
25:59of like how special that is and why it's meaningful.
26:03I think there's this, for some reason,
26:06I think, again, it's only been relegated to men.
26:09Having something made for you bespoke
26:11is something that was always offered to men.
26:13And it used to be something that women had access to as well.
26:17And ready-to-wear has sort of changed the landscape.
26:19And it's interesting because women in and of themselves,
26:23if you look at, I remember from my days at J.Crew,
26:26imagine you are making a garment
26:29and you have to fit someone who is in a size double zero
26:32and someone who is busty and completely curvy.
26:37But you're fitting one garment, you're styling one garment,
26:40you're making one garment,
26:40and then you're grading it up or down.
26:42And the fact matter is that just doesn't really work that way.
26:45It's very hard.
26:47And so inevitably, you're having to carve out the edges.
26:51You're having to make things not as specific
26:54or really directly devoted to one type or the other
26:57because you have to do the middle.
26:59And so particularly for people who are very straight
27:03or who don't have like a normal body,
27:06and I say normal meaning what the industry says.
27:10I think you don't necessarily get to...
27:14And the best way I can describe it is like,
27:15there's this idea of fit and style.
27:18And I talk about this all the time
27:19because people don't really understand.
27:21Like imagine you have a bunch of jeans in your closet
27:24and some of them, they all fit you.
27:27But the cut is different.
27:28And some of them you feel great in
27:29and some of them you don't.
27:31And so cut and fit are two slightly different things
27:35and you can't necessarily have them really optimized
27:38for yourself unless you get something made.
27:41And once you do that, you really see the difference
27:44in how it makes you feel.
27:45Like I want my sleeves to hang out underneath my jacket,
27:49but my arms are long.
27:50I cannot buy a shirt off the rack unless I buy men's
27:53and then the neck is huge and the armhole is huge.
27:55But I don't want a huge armhole
27:57because I want to put it under my Celine jacket
27:59and the armhole is this big.
28:00And so when you start to really get connected to fit
28:03and cut and how they work for you or against you,
28:07it is game changing.
28:08And it can make you feel just like far more.
28:11There's nothing worse than like having your shirt pop open
28:13because your boobs are big.
28:15Like that sucks.
28:16And that's unfortunate
28:18because that happens to a lot of people and vice versa.
28:20A lot of shirts have darts in them
28:21and I don't really have big boobs.
28:22So then I get like a point.
28:24And so being able to have something made for you,
28:28I don't know, there's something really,
28:30it just, it makes you feel special.
28:33I've said it once and I'll say it again.
28:37Again, not everyone can have things made,
28:40but at the very least,
28:41an investment in a really great tailor is paramount.
28:44Like it's the best investment you can make
28:48to make something feel like it was made for you
28:51and make you feel confident and make you feel great.
28:54I also think, I think it's true
28:56that not everybody can afford it.
28:57What I do find is that the pieces that I've had made,
28:59I wear 10X to the pieces
29:02that I'm constantly trying to find something
29:04that's like close to what I want.
29:06And once I stopped buying a bunch of shirts
29:08that were almost there,
29:10I now just wear my Ascot Chang shirts
29:12and I probably per wear spend less
29:15because I can go to those all the time
29:17and I pull them out over and over again.
29:18And I have a ton of other shirts in my closet
29:20that I've tried over
29:21and I just don't pull them out
29:23because they just don't,
29:24like they're always in service of something
29:27that I, it never works.
29:29You indulge your urges, your shopping urges.
29:34But is there anything that you dream?
29:36What's your dream buy?
29:38And it doesn't have to be clothing.
29:40Oh, that way it would be funner if it was.
29:43Funner, yeah.
29:44Oh, I mean my dream buy,
29:46which I will never do
29:47because I can't afford it,
29:48is a Berlinetta Lusso.
29:50Like that's just never happening,
29:51but it would be my, that's my dream.
29:54Okay.
29:55But I don't know, clothing wise?
29:58I don't know.
29:59I don't know if there's anything
30:00I have ever dreamed about
30:01that I haven't tried to get.
30:03I love that.
30:05I mean, I've had, clothing I'm like,
30:10I'm pretty, you see it, you like it, you get it.
30:14I mean, unless it's like,
30:17I'm not buying a Vicuña shirt or a coat
30:19because that's just stratospherically expensive.
30:21I do love Vicuña, but that's not in the cards.
30:24I also don't know if I really,
30:26it's not about price oftentimes.
30:27It's about like, you know,
30:28I love a Cam de Garcon and a, you know,
30:30like that stuff that's really unusual and special,
30:33but oftentimes very expensive.
30:35Yes.
30:35But I'm like, I'm down.
30:36There's never been anything that I've,
30:39we'll see what happens with the new Chanel
30:42and when in Bottega, we'll see.
30:43Yes.
30:45I know.
30:45There was one piece that I could not,
30:46I did not buy.
30:47It was a Kate strappy harness in sparkles
30:51and I tried to get it
30:53and they said it's $15,000
30:54and I said, thanks so much.
30:55Thank you so much.
30:57Very good.
30:58There is restraint.
30:59There's a little bit of restraint.
31:01I don't think my girlfriend would agree,
31:02but there is.
31:03There is.
31:04What I think about a lot is that
31:06you were at your job for 27 years,
31:10as you said,
31:11buying yourself rewards along the way
31:13feels very like hard won
31:15and now you're in, you know, whatever phase,
31:18but I just always think about,
31:20you know, sometimes young people expect
31:22like everything to happen at once
31:23and it's so nice to like see a story of like,
31:27you work really hard for a long time
31:30and you reward yourself
31:32and you get rewarded, but.
31:34Yeah.
31:34Tracy said that too.
31:36It's like, you know,
31:37why do I do this job
31:39and why do I do this
31:40if it's not to buy the things you like?
31:42And also, again, to, you know,
31:46to be in a position
31:46where you can potentially get stuff for free
31:49or get gifted is nice,
31:50but it's nicer when you actually buy the things
31:51that you really want
31:53and you desire and you invest in the artists
31:56that make the things that you believe in.
31:58A hundred percent.
31:59I do think that like
32:01there's some weird connotation around fashion
32:03and that it's not,
32:04it's superfluous or frivolous
32:06and I just don't believe that.
32:09Like I know from my previous experience
32:12and I remember when I were to take crew,
32:14people would send letters and say like,
32:15I'll never,
32:16this one woman really particular sent me a letter
32:18and she said, you know,
32:19I am a doctor,
32:20I am doing research
32:21and I had to present my research
32:23to a whole room full of men
32:24and I was very nervous and intimidated
32:26and I was wearing this blouse
32:28that we'd made at the time
32:29and the pencil skirt
32:30and these sparkly shoes
32:31and she said on my way up to the podium,
32:33three people told me that I looked fantastic
32:35and she said,
32:36so it gave me this confidence
32:38and so when I got up there,
32:39I forgot about how I looked
32:41and I didn't,
32:42I felt that confidence
32:43and it really helped me giving my presentation
32:45and so for someone to think
32:47that it's not meaningful,
32:48I think it's just,
32:49it's why,
32:52you know,
32:52when you go into a hospital
32:53and someone like does your nails
32:54and brushes your,
32:54it's like it makes you feel good,
32:56feeling like you're projecting
32:58a positive energy or strength or visual
33:00is like important
33:00and it's not frivolous for me at all.
33:02Right, yeah.
33:02It's honoring yourself.
33:04Yeah, it's care.
33:05Yes, I agree.
33:06And one thing I like that you said before
33:07about not being perfect
33:08and wanting to like sort of make that intentional
33:11is I also think that's a nice message
33:13to send out too
33:14is like perfection is not...
33:17It's intimidating.
33:17Yeah, and it's not really achievable
33:19so let's embrace being imperfect.
33:22Versions of what we want to look like anyway
33:25and again,
33:25I'm not as attracted to perfection
33:27or like polish.
33:29That's just,
33:30I don't know,
33:30it's always makes me a little scared.
33:33Yeah, yeah.
33:34Oh, so the final,
33:35the final question for the,
33:37the final question on the final episode
33:39of season one of The Goodbye is
33:41what is your most recent goodbye?
33:43Oh gosh,
33:44I have to think about that.
33:45Like in the past couple weeks.
33:46My most recent in the past couple of weeks.
33:51Oh God,
33:51I mean,
33:52I guess it would have to be
33:53I bought a pair of really great cashmere socks
33:56from, do you know Beg and Company?
33:58Yes.
33:58I have these socks,
33:59they're like this thick
34:01and I love them.
34:02A cashmere sock,
34:05that is luxury knows no bounds.
34:06It is.
34:07It's also the kind of thing
34:07that like you don't always want,
34:09like I love giving them as a gift too
34:10because most people don't want to spend money
34:11on a really good cashmere sock.
34:13Yeah.
34:13The good ones are expensive.
34:14A fancy sock is a great gift.
34:16I'm obsessed with socks.
34:17I think you should start like an Instagram.
34:19It's like WWJLD.
34:21What would Jenna Lyons do?
34:23The socks,
34:24the jackets,
34:25the shirts,
34:26the everything.
34:27We need it, the jeans.
34:29Yeah.
34:29Because you have all the answers.
34:32Jenna Lyons,
34:32thank you for being the best final guest
34:35of season one of The Goodbye
34:36that I could possibly think of.
34:38Your star rocks.
34:39It always has.
34:40And it's this kind of insight
34:42and knowledge about fashion
34:44that you just,
34:45you can't,
34:46you just know it.
34:48And it's great.
34:49I'm honored.
34:49Thank you for having me.
34:51This was Harper's Bazaar's The Goodbye.
34:53Goodbye.
34:54Goodbye.
34:54Goodbye.