As Michelle Obama's favourite high street brand arrives in London, J.Crew's Jenna Lyons tells us how she 'wasn't a superstar'.
Jenna Lyons unlocked the doors to J.Crew's first London store last night, as she welcomed the capital's fashion pack to the new Regent Street premesis.
Donna Air looked picture perfect on the arm of Kate Middleton's brother, James Middleton, as the pair led the way for models Oliver Chesire and Daisy Lowe, alongside industry names in Savile Row's Patrick Grant and Topshop's Sir Philip Green.
And what better woman to host the stylish bash, than the brand's president and creative director, Jenna, who names Michelle Obama among her biggest supporters.
When Michelle chose to wear J.Crew for Barack Obama's first presidential inauguration, and again for the second, America's first lady stealed the deal on the brand's successful future.
"To make the First Family feel enough pride in our clothes to wear them on the day that they're going to be photographed again and again, it's just increidble," Jenna told marie claire.
But that doesn't mean it's been a breeze for this inspiring career woman, who has been telling us how she really made it in the fashion industry. "I wasn't a superstar. I had to work for it. Really long hours. I didn't have any friends," she says.
Now a recognised style icon on top of her design talent, Jenna describes life under the fashion microscope: "It has certainly been challenging.
"Someone once said to me, 'If you believe the good, you have to blieve the bad.' So I don't read anything. If you listened to what you read in the press you'd go insane."
Now on the eve of opening J.Crew's European flagship store in London, Jenna is hoping the hot high street brand is more accessible than ever: "I just don't want peopel to feel like you have to live a certain way to have access to the brand.
"It's not who we are. I certainly didn't grow up that way. If you did, awesome, more power to you. You can afford to buy anything you want. Hopefully you'll buy us too."
It's good to have you in town, J.Crew. Got a tablet? You can now download Marie Claire magazine straight to your iPad, Kindle (just search the store for 'marie claire magazine'), Nook or Google Nexus.