Jenna Lyons

Photo: Imaxtree

We’ll cut right to the chase: A lot of crazy shit happened in the fashion world this year. While the industry that we call home can sometimes seem isolated and fantastical, many of its key players and events made headlines even in the mainstream media over the course of 2011.

In the last 365 days, we’ve seen our share of ups and downs: There have been exciting new beginnings and tragic falls from grace. A royal wedding and a Sarah Burton for McQueen dress captivated the world, while Galliano’s dress for Kate Moss made the fashion world swoon. We’ve celebrated the return of older models—like when 46-year-old Kristen McMenamy wore a bikini on the cover of Vogue Italia—and saw plenty of controversy surrounding very young ones. Just when we thought the boundaries of gender identity were breaking for good and that Lea T could kiss Kate Moss on the cover of LOVE, a men’s mag openly calls androgynous model Andrej Pejic a “thing.” We took it all in stride, and we’ve hopefully come out better on the other side.

Looking back at 2011, we’ve chosen twenty major moments that we believe defined the year in fashion. Which one made the biggest impact on you?

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Photo: Allure

Madonna’s Perfume Delivered by Male Models: Madge apparently sent some studly male models to hand-deliver her new Truth or Dare fragrance to beauty editors in NYC. Sadly, our notably male-deprived office was not included in this gesture – leading me to believe that Madonna is in on some Mean Girls-esque, four-for-you,-Glenn-Coco-and-none-for-Gretchen-Weiners reverse-psychology scheme to subconsciously make us want her perfume even more. Damn you, Madonna, and your sneaky mind games! {Telegraph}

RIP Master Embroiderer Francois Lesage: The Frenchman who led the embroidery atelier that served Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, and Bill Blass, has died at age 82. Lesage was known for being a true couture artisans, attaching every single bead by hand – a tradition that is now only utilized by a handful of designers. {NY Times}

An Account of Tel Aviv’s Very First Fashion Week: Lucky Mag contributer Ray Siegel reflects on Tel Aviv’s first-ever fashion week, hosted by Roberto Cavalli. Apparently each favorite look was immediately followed by avid applause – guess that’s faster than waiting to read the reviews! {Lucky}

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8th Annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards - Arrivals

The most stylish stars and fashion insiders showed up and showed out for last night’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards. While most attendees opted for looks from the honorees (there was lots Cushnie et Ochs, Suno, and Altuzarra on the step and repeat) Anna Wintour repeated a favorite Marni look and Hamish Bowles looked divinely dandy in…jeans.

Check out fashion’s finest.

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According to Curbed, J.Crew Pres Jenna Lyons‘ Brooklyn townhouse–the subject of many a jealousy-inducing editorial–is up for sale following reports of her divorce and team-switching. Wait, do we hear something? It sounds like the hearts of millions of interior designers breaking…

According to Sotheby’s, the four-story townhouse has seven bedrooms, three and a half baths and is “impeccably renovated to perfection.” They forgot to mention that it’s earned a spot in the hearts of New York’s fashion industry peeps as the Platonic ideal of an utterly stylish home in the city.

So in honor of Lyons’ soon-to-be-sold Park Slope home, we remember the townhouse’s finest moments, culled from Living Etc. as well as that Domino shoot everyone ripped out and drooled over. Check out all the images below.

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Ever since reports surfaced that Jenna Lyons was leaving her husband for, yes, a woman, we’ve been waiting for some reactionary “news” source to use it as a means of justification for their outrage over the so-called “Toemageddon” incident–or, for the uninitiated (we envy you), that one time when Lyons’ painted her son’s toenails pink and caused a serious stir.

Obviously, Fox News wasted no time. Leave it to Fox News columnist Dr. Keith Ablow, he who started “Toemageddon,” to pounce on the news. In a lengthy essay, Ablow essentially says that since Lyons’ allegedly has a girlfriend, she must be uncomfortable with all forms of masculinity and therefore tried to turn her son (and every J.Crew catalog-reading mom’s sons) into gender-confused emasculated boys. Seriously, where do they come up with this stuff?

But the crazy doesn’t end there.

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Earlier this week we learned that J.Crew president Jenna Lyons was in the middle of a “messy” divorce and that she was allegedly in a new relationship with a woman who also works in the industry.

This morning Page Six is reporting that the woman in question is Courtney Crangi, jeweler Philip Crangi‘s sister and business partner.

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For their lead story today, Page Six is reporting that J.Crew president and one of our personal fashion heroes Jenna Lyons is going through a ‘messy’ divorce from her husband, artist Vincent Mazeau. According to the gossip column, Lyons and Mazeau split this summer. They married in 2002, had the prettiest most perfectly decorated townhouse in Park Slope (you remember that Domino story), and were often photographed together in J.Crew’s catalog with their son, Beckett.

This is really shitty news to have splashed in the tabs, even shittier because we so admire Lyons and the work she’s done at J.Crew. It sucks that this is the price you pay for being wildly successful and making yourself accessible. And Page Six has got more salacious dirt.

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When the gay marriage bill was passed in New York, we couldn’t help but wonder what impact that might have on the New York-centric fashion industry and apparently neither could Cathy Horyn. In the Times today, she writes about stylish gay couples heading down the aisle and the outfits they have to choose from.

We have been seeing some unconventional wedding attire during bridal fashion week, and there are pieces that could work well for a lesbian wedding. See: simpler options like the pants suit, and tea length dresses that could counter a partner wearing a longer more traditional dress. According to Horyn, same-sex couples are a growing market that designers and retailers will be catering to. And J. Crew is happy to be one of those retailers.

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J.Crew presented their spring 2012 collection for the first time ever during New York fashion week at Lincoln Center yesterday. Unsurprisingly, the presentation room was packed–especially the side devoted to the women’s collection–but the men’s collection on the flip side didn’t disappoint either, and there’s an anorak we’re hoping fits in XS.

The models all looked like mini Jenna Lyons–particularly the one styled in thick framed glasses–as they should be; J.Crew’s president and brand poster girl is the woman we all (or at least many of us) aspire to dress like. The clothes were fantastic, comme d’hab, and styled to perfection. Things we learned from the presentation: neon is not going anywhere (phew), hot pink and fire engine red should be worn together (a color combo that recalls a Prabal Gurung ensemble SJP wore recently), mint green and yellow are colors to stock up on, and don’t forget to incorporate your prints–as long as they’re subtle.

We can say that J.Crew knocked it out of the park for their first showing at Lincoln Center, but we think it means more that a pregnant J.Crew-clad Beyonce stopped by (along with sis Solange). The Queen B seal of approval? What could be better than that.

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New York magazine’s fall fashion issue features a lengthy profile on J. Crew president, Jenna Lyons.

When I started reading it I thought I couldn’t admire Lyons any more than I already do – she worked her way up in a national company and revitalized J. Crew from a fuddy-duddy lady brand into the coolest thing for ladies of all ages. But lo and behold, there were a slew of facts about the California native that even the most obsessed Lyons follower wouldn’t have known.

So click through to find out more about Jenna Lyons. (Bonus fact: Her workspace is cooler than yours… and ours too.)

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“I have all the respect in the world for Mickey and for Jenna. I have to say, Jenna and I are so close, and she is honestly my first true mentor–and I don’t think many people can say they have that. We’re so in sync, for her to take on that role [of CEO] I would be so happy for her, for J.Crew, for Mickey, for everyone. So crossing my fingers that that’s what happens!”

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J.Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons might be under attack by the right wing nut jobs at Fox for letting her son paint his toes pink, but her boss Mickey Drexler thinks she could be the right person to succeed him when he steps down.

J. Crew Chairman and CEO Mickey Drexler gave his first interview since taking J. Crew private to Bloomberg’s For the Record program, hosted by Margaret Brennan. In it, Drexler dishes on everything from the decision to take J.Crew private, expanding internationally, and Jenna Lyons. The full interview airs this weekend but here are the highlights, courtesy Bloombergy TV’s In Business with Margaret Brennan:

On Jenna Lyons as his possible successor, and his succession plan:

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