Jenna Lyons believes her days as a “fashion icon” are firmly behind her. Despite being a fan favorite on Bravo’s Real Housewives of New York, she says designers aren’t begging to dress her anymore.
“I think a lot of times, designers want to dress you head to toe,” she admitted. “I don’t really wear anything head to toe, so I’m not usually the perfect person for that.”
“I’m also, like, not 22 and hot anymore,” she shrugged. “That moment has passed.” I feel ya, babe. Me, too. Sigh.
Jenna Lyons likes controversial fashion choices, chosen by herself rather than designers for RHONY
The former J. Crew Creative Director joined RHONY as part of the Season 14 cast reboot. Jenna is known for her unique sense of style, as well as her bold black-framed glasses.
“My favorite thing is looking through old photographs,” she told People about how she makes her fashion choices. “I’m like, ‘Wow, I thought that was cute,’ But if you don’t take any risks, you don’t [reap] any rewards … I think fashion risks are fun … I feel like people get so worried about rules.”
“Everyone’s so judgmental,” she added. “It’s like, ‘I’m sorry. Can we please just have a little fun?'”
In October 2023, Jenna raised eyebrows when she showed up at the RHONY Season 14 Reunion wearing a pair of Levi’s jeans. She was a bit of a standout in the cast photo amid the fancy gowns and cocktail dresses. But then, Jenna always marches to the beat of her own drum.
Sorry, not sorry
“The reunion — yes, I wore jeans, and I am not sorry,” Jenna captioned an Instagram video at the time. She also wore a black Saint Laurent jacket, a sheer Thom Browne button-down, and a black Saint Laurent tie with her jeans, according to Bravo.
She completed the look with a pair of Dries Van Noten heels, Ultimate Diamond jewels, and brown glasses. As she told People a month later, “zero thought” went into the look.
“I didn’t expect this to have such a shockwave,” she said in the video. “I was really surprised, both on the side of people loving it and supporting it, and people being like, ‘How could you do that? That’s not allowed!’ … Where’s the rulebook I was not given?”
“I didn’t realize it would be so controversial; it was not intentional,” she said of the audience reaction. “First of all, who cares? And second, this idea that I … was somehow a faux pas — who made the rules? Does anybody really want me to come out there in a full-length sparkly gown? Really? I don’t think that’s what you want from me.”
Jenna is herself. Always.
Real Housewives of New York Season 15 premieres on October 1, 2024.
