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After working as a J.Crew/crewcuts designer for 17 years, Jenny Cooper was looking for a second chapter. She’s now opening a zero waste café in Brooklyn, and bringing her playful vibe to everything she does. As for her style icon? “Children. I like wackily dressed children and their impulse to go overboard.” Here, Jenny shares five outfits she wears in a week…
Jacket: similar. Shirt: SZ Blockprints. Pants: SZ Blockprints. Camo bag: Porter Japan, similar. Shoes: New Balance.
“With an outfit, it’s always fun to have something that’s in opposition; it adds an interesting tension. If you’re wearing a huge top, put on skinny pants; if you’re wearing basic jeans, put on funny shoes. Here, I’m wearing bright pastels with camo. The shirt and pants are from SZ Blockprints; they work one of the oldest block printing houses in India.”
“The sneakers are men’s New Balance for J.Crew. I always look at men’s clothes, and men’s sneakers can be cooler than women’s. I have big feet so it works!”
Jacket: Craig Green. Tee: Everybody’s World (“they make T-shirts out of waste products from fabric mills”); blockprint version by IXV. Jeans: Chimala. Tan belt: similar. Shoes: similar.
“When I first thought about opening a coffee shop, I knew that I wanted zero waste to be the goal. Before, I would get my morning coffee at neighborhood places, and I’d be in these lines of people and everybody would get a plastic cup and I started visualizing what that looked like when they walked away. I thought, if I have a coffee shop, I’ll have to get all the locals to bring reusable cups. It’s a baby-step approach at looking at where there’s plastic in your life and thinking, can I change it? Now it has snowballed, and I’m learning and talking about it more, and more people want to hear about it. It’s really gratifying and kind of awesome.”
“I tie my shirts because I wear big pants — and if I didn’t do that, I’d look like a balloon. I find myself falling into uniforms; when I like something, I repeat it a lot until I get sick of it. Right now it’s all about the knot!”
Blazer: crewcuts, similar. [Here’s Toby wearing the same blazer!] Shirt: L Train Vintage, similar. Chinos: J.Crew, similar. Belt: vintage, similar. Camo bag: Porter Japan, similar. Shoes: New Balance for J.Crew.
“Embroidering is my hobby, and I spent today embroidering boobs on a pair of chinos. I just thought it was funny to wear boobs on the outside. I also feel like men have owned the motif for so long; I like when women artists start owning it. I’ve had people mistake them for cookies and flowers, which makes me laugh. My 14-year-old son is not on board with these.”
“The heart sunglasses were from crewcuts. We used to joke that the boys’ line was for my two children, and the girls’ line was for the women who were designing it. (Heart sunglasses, yeah!) I’m so obsessed with my children — Miller, who is 14, and Walker, who is 16. When I was growing up, I don’t think I ever talked to a 16-year-old boy. Now it’s amazing to have one as a son, who comes up and gives you a sneaky hug. It’s an incredible bond that I didn’t expect and isn’t going away. Now they’re becoming more independent, I’m becoming more independent, and that interaction of all of us getting more independent is amazing.”
Sweater: similar. Pants: IXV. Belt: vintage, similar. Boots: YSL.
“When it comes to shopping, I try to finish everything I have — the whole idea is to not put more trash out there. And then when you need something new, make it something you love. Sustainable brands I like are Veja, Boyish Jeans, Nu Swim, and Riverside Tool & Dye. Eileen Fisher also has an amazing remade program; and For Days is an organic cotton T-shirt subscription that takes back your old T-shirts.”
Shirt: SZ Blockprints. Pants: Pineapple Mama Vintage, similar. Shoes: Weejuns by Bass. Earrings: J.Crew.
“When mixing patterns at J.Crew, I learned to start with a color. If the colors fit together, it’s going to look good. And if they don’t fit together, it’s going to look bad. Throw clothes on the floor and see if the colors look good together. If they do, you’re on the way.”
“I’m obsessed with sunflowers! It’s like you’re in an Alice in Wonderland story.”
Thank you, Jenny! Her café, IXV, will open this summer.
P.S. More women share their weeks of outfits, including a food writer and nutritionist.
(Photos by Christine Han for Cup of Jo.)
