Today in Fashion Lessons: J.Crew's Jenna Lyons Dishes Her Personal Style Advice

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Jenna Lyons works a monochromatic look.

WireImage

Fashion heaven: J.Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons joins the Glamour squad as our special guest editor. Also, she knows everything.

Q: I love the idea of mixing patterns, but I don’t know how. Any pointers? —Jayme, 25, San Francisco

A: Every time I wear pattern on pattern, I get that half-cocked look, like, Oh, you can wear that together! So I have a few policies for pulling it off. First, start with things that are rooted in the same color tone, like navy stripes with navy polka dots. That’s level one. You can take it up a notch by adding one print that has multiple colors; this definitely requires some chutzpah. Level three is mixing two prints that are multi-color but still based on the same hue, like a navy floral paired with a navy paisley. Then my level five—I skipped level four because I just don’t care about level four—is really going for it, like mixing a green animal print with a pink one—same print but different colors. I’m so appreciative that Gucci brought back the crazy, because of course I love a mad hatter mix. I’m fully wearing mismatched pajama-inspired pants and tops this fall. My underline to all of this is that there are three prints you can wear with anything: a navy-and-white stripe (I would challenge anyone to come up with something that you cannot wear with that), leopard, and camo. As far as I’m concerned, they’re neutrals.

This is Jenna's moodboard! "I love mixing a hot hue with a soft one in the same shade," she says.

Bryan Derballa

Q: How can I wear a monochrome look in a fresh way? —Sarah, 24, Park City, Utah

A: The most important thing is the mix of textures. It’s very similar to decorating a house: If you have a plush velvet couch, don’t put a velvet pillow on it. Add something totally different that complements it. So if you’re wearing blue flannel, maybe your shoes are a blue satin or patent—something a bit shinier. Another thing not to lose sight of is mixing tones. There’s nothing I love more than a milky pink chino with a hot pink t-shirt or silk blouse. As long as you don’t mix blue pinks and yellow pinks, it’s OK. Blue undertones are harder to wear with other things. They have a tendency to go dark and gray, as opposed to going bright. Especially if you’re pale, they’re not as flattering. That’s why I walk around with a red sweater all the time in the winter! Also, I do think that if you’re doing monochrome gray, it’s absolutely beautiful to do a red lip. But if you’re wearing a red lip, please, please, please, don’t wear a smoky eye!

J.Crew earrings, $68, jcrew.com

Q: What are the easiest ways to transform a look for fall? —Erica, 47, Philadelphia

A: Hello, accessories! Right now I’m having a big earring moment, and the bigger and more sparkly and crazy, the better. That’s such an easy look-changer: I can wear something with my hair down and casual during the day, then up with earrings at night, and it looks so different. Also, if I’m wearing long chinos or cargoes with flats at the office, I’ll roll up my pants, put on ankle-strap shoes, and change into a crisp white shirt unbuttoned low. All of a sudden I look dressed up. I love that I don’t have to change everything, because who has time to change everything?

Watch Glamour's September cover star, Bella Hadid, lip-synch her favorite song: