Jenna Lyons on Joining the RHONY Cast and Running Her Own Beauty Brand

Welcome to our podcast, Who What Wear With Hillary Kerr. Think of it as your direct line to the designers, stylists, beauty experts, editors, and tastemakers who are shaping the fashion-and-beauty world. Subscribe to Who What Wear With Hillary Kerr on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Jenna Lyons really has cemented herself has a fashion-industry icon.

After 27 years with J.Crew, Lyons left the brand to embark on new ventures in 2017.

In 2020, Lyons co-founded the direct-to-consumer beauty brand LoveSeen, a line of faux lashes, tools, and accessories.

Lyons didn't stop there. She's also an interior designer and consultant for The Expert, the online platform that allows you to book virtual consultations with the world's top design experts from the comfort of your own home.

You also may have spotted Lyons on the new season of The Real Housewives of New York City—and caught a glimpse of her impeccably designed SoHo apartment. 

For the latest episode of Who What Wear With Hillary Kerr, Lyons shares what it was like launching LoveSeen, why she joined The Expert, and so much more.

For excerpts from their conversation, scroll below.

I remember we spoke about the first time you saw something that you had designed at J.Crew in the wild and how that felt. Now seeing this response to LoveSeen, does that feel different for you than seeing something that you designed?

When I think about it, the fact of matter is, it doesn't really feel different.

I think I felt the same amount of pride and excitement when someone wore something that either myself or the team had created as I do now.

I didn't do anything by myself. I didn't do LoveSeen by myself, and I never did J.Crew by myself.

I'm a piece and a part of this thing that comes together. I feel a sense of pride for myself and for all the people who are involved in creating the clothes and the lashes.

Can you tell me about some of the most significant lessons that you've learned? I feel like this has got to have its own level of learning curve.

I think the biggest thing is I grew up in a world where you were touching things. It was a physical experience, primarily.

Even though you could order online, we had many stores. There was an opportunity for the customer to go in and touch—and they wanted to.

I learned business that way. I learned in a totally different era. Now, everything is visually online.

My biggest mistake was the packaging. The very first iteration of the packaging, I have this glossy L on the outside.

When you hold it up in front of a camera, you can't see it. It was very subtle. I thought it was very chic, and no one knows what the hell it is.

I think the other really big mistake I made is I got the team way too big too fast. I came from a world where everyone's job was very specific.

We thought we were gonna go quickly—we also then got slammed with the pandemic—and so we had to really downsize the team.

When you start doing that, when people have really specific jobs, all the sudden you're looking at people and a lot of us didn't know what we were doing— myself included.

That was really a huge learning curve to understand. People who have come up in a small business have a totally different mental and capacity for flexing and bending and doing other things.

Whereas people who come from a very specific role, it's harder. Not because of any fault of their own, it's just they're just not used to it.

So you're asking someone to do something they may not necessarily feel comfortable with. I also didn't necessarily know how to direct.

I could spend an hour talking about all the mistakes I made.

[On Jake Arnold's episode,] we just spoke recently about The Expert. Can you talk a little bit about your involvement with the platform and how you got introduced in the first place?

I think the idea is phenomenal. It's kind of like a stylist. Some people will go into a Bloomingdale's or Neiman Marcus and they work with a salesperson there to say, "Here's what we've got. These are the best items and what are you working with. Oh, this will look good on you."

Nothing else exists like that for the home. You either can afford a decorator or you can't. There's really no middle ground.

What The Expert does is gives you that middle ground. It allows you to book an appointment, so you can have an hour with me, you can have 10 hours of me. Some people I end up doing extensive projects with; some people I see once and never see again.

It's everything from, "I need help with the layout. I'm just not sure which direction to go." Or "I really want this look. How do I get it?"

People are making big purchases. They're purchasing a couch, they're purchasing a rug, and sometimes we're in the neighborhood of 15 grand and so they want someone who they trust to say, "I think that's great." Or "I think you should look at X. Have you seen this?"

That's pretty remarkable.

Do you have plans for expansion in this area? I want to know when I'm going to the Jenna Lyons–designed hotel. What is the next version of this that you are considering?

What I am so excited about is I have been able to do a lot of different things. I worked on a hotel for three years, and unfortunately, the people who were developing the hotel decided to do something else and pulled out during the pandemic. It kind of got shut down.

I'm doing a lot of other consulting work. I consult with Rockefeller Center, which has been super fun.

I have a line of furniture at Roll & Hill and my Laddi lamp is doing incredibly well. We're gonna go back and add more pieces to that.

I don't know if I'm going to do a big Jenna Lyons thing. I just don't want to end up on sale is really what it comes down to.

I remember when I was at J.Crew and everybody was like, "Can we name this after you?" I'm like, "No, I don't want to be on the sale rack."

I don't want to have too many things with my name attached.

Of all of the aspects of the show (The Real Housewives of NY), what has been the most fun, and what has been the most challenging?

You are developing relationships with completely unusual circumstances. They're just not normal relationships. There is no way your relationships can grow and feel nurtured when you have cameras on you.

Then there is this platform where there's controversy and everyone has an opinion. Most friendships don't develop that way.

That's just hard because I think it undermines a little bit of our own ability to resolve things with each other, because there's just so much outside pressure. That, to me, is the most challenging thing.

I think the most fun thing is people seem to love it. I will not lie. It's so nice when someone comes up and says, "I love the show." That feels great.

I'm like the kid who was the ugly duckling who no one wanted to talk to, and I was totally on the sidelines.

To me, to be the person to walk down the street and someone says, "I love watching you on the show. Can I take a picture?" I'm honored.

It feels so nice. I'm deeply appreciative.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Next, our editors share the top NYFW trends.