Jenna Lyons Explains Met Ball Skirt + Denim Jacket

The most adored women in fashion, J.Crew big boss, Jenna Lyons, explains on the J.Crew blog her Met Ball outfit–a bright pink skirt and denim jacket–which was viewed by the blogosphere as a little controversial because of the jacket. (Anyone other than Lyons and it would have been viewed as a LOT controversial…just saying.) Btw, that guy with her above is head women’s designer Tom Mora, who wore J.Crew’s Ludlow tuxedo. Here’s what she says about the skirt:

“I felt I had to do something in shocking pink because that’s what Schiaparelli is known for. I sketched the design for this skirt on the back of a piece of paper during a meeting one day about two weeks before the ball. Honda, our patternmaker, draped and stitched the satin right here in the office.”

The jacket:

“I didn’t want to wear duchesse silk satin with something sparkly or pearls. I am who I am—so I took it down a notch with denim. We pulled a J.Crew jean jacket and then had it fit and re-tailored to raise the waistband. I’m also not really wearing a shirt underneath—the collar and cuffs were custom-made by my custom shirtmaker and were stitched into the jacket.”

And even her bag and its contents:

“I carried a J.Crew clutch (the contents of which included reading glasses, phone, keys, $20, license and credit card—and a tube of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar).”

The aspect of the collar and cuffs custom stitched into the jacket is what slays me. That’s where the jean jacket goes up a level from normal folks. Hardly an original thought, but..luv her.

See a bunch of images from the night of the event, including Lyons in curlers, on the next page.