Some wonderful things about the holiday season? Unashamedly drinking devouring eggnog, blasting Justin Bieber's *chef's kiss* masterpiece "Mistletoe" (I've had it on repeat since November 1, don't judge), and spending time with your loved ones. Some not-so-incredible things? Gridlock alerts, awkward interactions at your significant other's office holiday party (🥴), and figuring out what gifts to get said loved ones. Luckily, Klarna tapped Jenna Lyons aka Jenna Fucking Lyons™️ to curate a holiday collection so you can tackle your gift list with ease this season (you're on your own with those gridlock alerts and awk office parties though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯).
Cosmopolitan sat down with the *takes deep breath* founder and CEO of LoveSeen, interior designer, former creative director of J.Crew, The Real Housewives of New York star, Rockefeller Center consultant, and high-key fashion icon to talk about her Klarna collab, some of her holiday traditions, and her biggest takeaways after watching back her inaugural RHONY season.
Congrats on this holiday collection you've curated! How did this partnership with Klarna come about?
I think that I've kind of become a gift guru unintentionally because of my conversations about gift-giving on the show. It sparked a lot of conversations, plus I just really do enjoy it so much.
I love how you've included a nice range in your Klarna picks. But I have a tricky one for you. What would you suggest gifting the type of person I think is the hardest to shop for: the person who literally has it all?
*Laughs* Listen, that is something that I get too. And I think to me, the things that are oftentimes the most special are things that include an event. I think gifting someone dinner out or a weekend away can really feel special, particularly if it's someone really important in your life. It doesn't have to be fancy, but I think that those kinds of things are great.
Interestingly enough, I didn't realize this earlier, but you can actually do those kinds of gifting options with Klarna. Like, you can actually book on Airbnb and you can have a little escape. You can go to Miami for the weekend. I know it's a little bit more over the top, but for your husband, wife, kids, or anyone you want to do something special for really, it can be a wonderful gift.
What's the best gift you received last year? Or the the best gift that you gifted someone?
Oh gosh, that's a good question! I really do love special ornaments because I kind of go crazy at Christmas and my tree is a little over the top. It's one of those things where ornaments can be pricey, so getting a really special ornament to me is incredibly fun and I really do love that. I oftentimes will do that as well—gift a beautiful ornament.
But I think my favorite gift for anyone is always something that they wouldn't buy for themselves. I mean, that's ultimately what people want is the thing that's the splurge that they look at and go, "Oh, maybe not." Anything from a special face cream or a candle, or really gorgeous socks—things you don't want to spend money on.
Absolutely. Do you have a favorite holiday tradition and/or a place that you go to during the holidays to get you in a really festive mood? Bonus points if it's in New York!
Well, my holiday tradition is a little crazy. Years ago, my son and I started this tradition of doing a pie fight on the street.
Oh my gosh!
Yes! I mean, it's just whipped cream, but basically, I call a street cleaner and have them waiting, and we go outside and a bunch of us get dressed up in ponchos and just whack each other with whipped cream pies. It's the most fun thing I've ever done, it's hysterical.
Wow, I love it! I hope we get a scene of that on The Real Housewives of New York City someday. Now that season 1 of the show has wrapped, what was your biggest lesson learned throughout the process?
I think I was reserved. It's really hard being on camera all the time. I was very aware of the cameras and knew that they were there, and I also knew that everything that I was saying was being captured. I was probably more reserved than I would've liked to have been. I think I was nervous and a little bit scared. It's a really vulnerable thing to do, and that was a big learning for me.
What surprised you about watching back this period of your life on TV? Did you watch it back?
I mean, I had to watch it mostly because we had to kind of know what was going on for the reunion, and so I did watch it. I didn't watch it all the way through, though. But I think in the moments where the things that I was most afraid of or the parts that were the hardest, I can see they actually are some of the most tender moments, which is actually really nice. While in the moment it felt really hard, watching some of it back, they actually are the moments that feel the most authentic and nice to watch.
Plus during the season, viewers got to see all the different hats you put on, from being the visionary behind LoveSeen and consulting for Rockefeller Center to being a creative director when people have shoots in your gorgeous apartment. How do you juggle multiple big projects like this without burning out?
In my previous job, we had three different companies. So I was overseeing J. Crew, Madewell, and Factory. On any given day I would start with a creative meeting for Madewell and afterwards, I would go to a finance meeting for J. Crew, a walkthrough for Factory, and then I would go to a casting. I think, honestly, I do better in this. I'm actually really terrible with details. Literally anyone who works with me will tell you I don't remember anything. I can think about things on a macro level, but if you want me to do something micro, lord help you. It is actually easier for me to do more, bigger, and not get too deep on any one thing because, to be honest, I don't even know how to send an attachment. *laughs*
What does a typical day in the life of Jenna Lyons look like, then?
I would say that there is not one set day, which is what I like. I think it's more fun that way. I remember when I was growing up, my least favorite thing was having the same classes every day at the same time. It drove me insane, so I think I'm actually better suited to having a less structured routine now. Sometimes, I begin the day by exercising in the morning or having breakfast with friends or a business meeting. Then it might pivot to doing sketches, reviewing photos for something, thinking about a blog post, thinking about Instagram, what we're going to do for a post for LoveSeen, and thinking about doing an expert call. I do the interior design stuff, so doing a call for a consulting job that I'm working on or checking with Rockefeller Center is also in the mix. I mean, it's a little bit of a cornucopia, but pretty much always different.
I know season 2 of RHONY is very hush-hush, but no matter what happens, where can fans find you next? How do we make sure that you stay in our lives?
Oh, thank you, that's so nice! Well, I mean, it's easy to find me on Instagram. That's the easiest place. And I actually am one of those bizarre people who tries to really read my DMs. I don't know why, but I try and I'm pretty good at it. But that's an easy one, and then obviously loveseen.com. There's a lot of me on there!
