Lyons den

Photo courtesy of Forbes.

Ok, so here’s the deal.  Sometimes I get a little worked up over things and jump up on my soapbox—like um, last week.  I still stand by what I said last week about the recent findings at J. Crew and how Talbots is simply amazing this fall.  But when I heard that Jenna (we’re on a first name basis, you know. Ha, I wish.) was going to be on this little-known show called Oprah (rerun, I know.), I felt the same giddiness I feel every single time that new J. Crew catalog hits my mailbox. 

Hello, beautiful.  Jenna's personal shoe collection.

It’s the giddiness I feel every time I walk into that giant Crew at The Summit.  It’s the same feeling that causes me to save every article mentioning J. Crew’s executive creative director's name.  It’s the giddiness that reminds me that she, Jenna Lyons, is living out my dream job.  Literally, if I were asked what my dream career would be if there were no obstacles in life, hers would be it. Ask anyone I know and they will tell you that I’ve always wanted an executive position within J. Crew (remember that annual report analysis?)—and yes, I realize it doesn’t happen overnight.  

I absolutely adore Jenna's office at J.Crew.

That’s why I love the fact that she has spent 21 years working her way up within the company to get where she is.  So every time I see Jenna Lyons, I see my dreams—

Photo courtesy of Elle Decor.

—maybe it’s why I get so, um...soapbox-y when I don’t necessarily like what I’m seeing.  But on this show, she made me remember why I liked her in the first place—because she exudes that “just play dress up” quality so well and appears just so genuinely sweet.  So, though we may differ in opinions (And really, who cares about my opinion at this point besides me?), 

Jenna Lyons will still always be one of the biggest inspirations in my life. 

By the way, if you haven’t seen the inside of her amazing townhouse in Brooklyn, Google it or check out Elle Decor's  article—it’s just unbelievable.

In case you weren't convinced of my love quite yet, this is the collage I did 
in my dorm, featuring about a million J. Crew catalogs and half a dozen Elles.