Jenna Lyons, the president and creative director of preppy clothing company J. Crew, is used to creating a stir. Last year Lyons caused conservative commenters to gasp when she admitted she painted her five-year-old son's toenails. Other ad campaigns have raised eyebrows and drawn criticism. But now it's her personal life - mainly a complicated divorce - and not her company that everyone is talking about.
As divorce lawyers in Pasadena know all too well, sometimes high-profile divorces can eclipse even the most glittering fashion careers and the divorce of Jenna Lyons seems to be one of those cases. From the minute Lyons married artist Vincent Mazeau in 2002, the couple were christened the ultimate cool creative New York couple. The pair lived in a chic and highly-photographed brownstone and Lyons gave birth to their son Beckett in 2005.
Professionally for Lyons, life since she met Mazeau has been rosy, too. She reportedly makes $5 million a year at J.Crew, has helped dress the First Lady and has even given Oprah viewers a tour of her closet. Yet nothing lasts forever. Mazeau and Lyons separated over the summer and now he is reportedly asking for their beloved brownstone as well as a hefty financial settlement. Sources close to the couple say Mazeau wants to be compensated for giving up his career so she could pursue hers.
Page Six is reporting that a shocking new relationship in Lyons' life might be the real reason her artist ex is seeking his share of her fortune.
"We're told Lyons has fallen in love with another woman who also works in the fashion business," the New York Post column reports. The pair is reportedly seeking joint custody of their son but both sides have remained mum on the details of their divorce. As for J. Crew, the company spokesperson has bluntly stated, "We do not comment on our associates' private lives."