"Jenna Lyons is like a kid in a candy shop. Only, instead of marveling over gummies and chocolates, she's poring over thousands of heritage prints at Tessitura Serica Antonio Ratti, the historic silk manufacturer located 40 minutes outside of Milan. The institution's archives house swatches from the world's leading fashion houses - Hermès, Chanel, Dior, you name it - but what excites Lyons most is a smaller rack of samples from her 27-year tenure at J.Crew, where she worked her way up from assistant to president and creative director, earning the moniker " The Woman Who Dresses America" from The New York Times."
""My babies," she squeals, before sharing stories behind each sample to an enamored group of 18 tourists, all Capital One cardholders who signed up for the bespoke trip she co-curated with the bank and luxury travel agency PRIOR. Following her high-profile TV era - including HBO's Stylish With Jenna Lyons (2020) and a two-season run on Bravo's Real Housewives of New York City (2023-2025), where her style and unfiltered advice made constant waves - she found herself craving projects with more depth. Her multi-stop itinerary through the Italian fashion capital was one such way she got to live out that dream."
"Recalling her first time at the print manufacturer, she says, "I was so excited about the level of artisanship, quality, and people who can make such beauty." So rather than adding more traditional tourist stops, Lyons wanted to communicate that feeling with new people. "If I had seen that Ratti tour when I was young, I would have been like, 'Please sign me up.'""
"Her Milan appreciation extends beyond its artistry. During a lunch at nearby Lake Como, she fantasizes about which shoreside property (and boats) she'd want to own and cheers on an elderly man water biking. Clearly, this is her happy place. Ahead, Lyons reflects on her nostalgic return to Milan, the recent Met Gala,"
Jenna Lyons tours Tessitura Serica Antonio Ratti, a historic silk manufacturer near Milan, spending time among heritage print archives and swatches from major fashion houses. She focuses especially on samples connected to her 27-year tenure at J.Crew, where she rose from assistant to president and creative director. Lyons leads an intimate group of 18 tourists, all Capital One cardholders, who joined a bespoke trip she co-curated with the bank and a luxury travel agency. She describes her excitement about artisanship, quality, and the people who create beauty, and she wishes she had found such a tour when she was younger. Her Milan experience also includes lunch near Lake Como, imagining property and boats, and cheering an elderly man water biking.
Read at Bustle
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