J. Crew’s Olympia Gayot Is Fashion’s Favorite Influencer

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If you’re one of Olympia Gayot’s 186,000 Instagram followers, you know her office well. It’s the backdrop of most, if not all, of the J.Crew designer’s mirror selfies, a light box with floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the Hudson River in Manhattan’s Financial District.

Stepping into her office on an overcast March afternoon, I immediately clock The Mirror and feel like I’m on the set of a familiar TV show. Adjacent to The Mirror is The Wall—her mood board, currently curated with a cool spring palette of navy and olive green, as pristine as it is on Instagram.

Gayot made her Instagram public in 2020, shortly after returning to J.Crew—where she had worked from 2010 to 2017 as a design director under the creative direction of Jenna Lyons—following a brief stint at Victoria’s Secret. She’s now coming up on five years as creative director and executive vice president of women’s and kids design, and, along with menswear designer Brendon Babenzien and CEO Libby Wadle, is credited with helping the brand “shake off a mid-life crisis,” at least according to the The New York Times.

After stepping into the spotlight following years of more behind-the-scenes roles, Gayot has cultivated an enthusiastic and engaged community of fashion-loving fans, including the Hollywood stylist Karla Welch, It Girl-favorite designer Maryam Nassir Zadeh and countless fashion editors, none of whom can’t get enough of the Gayot’s quirky-cool style or the mood boards she shares on Instagram—some of which get more likes than her outfit photos.

From left: Inside Gayot’s office; a November 2024 mood board.

Instagram/@olympiamarie

Though she hails from Toronto and has now lived in New York for nearly 20 years, there’s something almost Parisian about her style, an aspirational high-low effortlessness. Her handbag might be Celine, her shoes Loro Piana, but her clothes are always J.Crew.

At this point, Gayot’s selfies, which are mentioned in every one of her press clips, they’re that powerful, are just part of the job. “I’m doing it not just for myself, but also to show our customer how to wear things,” she explains. It’s an ideal arrangement: She’s both the designer and the model, but has the fandom of an influencer.

Is there a secret to always looking so put-together and chic on the internet? “When you take a picture of yourself, you can style yourself in a way, or move your body in a way where it might look perfect,” she says. “I don’t always feel polished, but in that mirror I look like I do.”

I ask, “So it’s a magic mirror?” She agrees: “It really is.”

For Glamour’s Doing the Work series, we spoke to Olympia Gayot about her must-have basics for spring, the latest J.Crew catalog, and how she balances motherhood, career, and keeping her Instagram followers fed.

Glamour: You’ve just released the spring 2025 catalog. Tell me about your relationship with the archives, and about modernizing the J.Crew catalog after resurrecting it in 2024.

Our 41-year heritage is a pretty amazing thing. There are moments to tap into heritage and there are moments to be more modern, but I think right now everyone is really craving the idea of the ‘80s and the ‘90s, and a simpler life and maybe simpler shapes and proportions.

You look at a [catalog] page of shoes from the ‘90s and see every shape that’s relevant right now is there. And really, when you look at all of these eras together, you can see how J.Crew tapped into preppy-dom, and then they tapped into the grunge era, and then it kind of went more pretty in the 2000s. It really shows that fashion is a reflection of culture.

What stands out to you about the spring 2025 catalog?

The stories are all great, but I love the story of Liya Kebede and her daughter. She’s a model that we worked with starting in the 2000s for many, many years. She’s a fantastic woman in every way, just smart and beautiful and everything. And she has this great, beautiful, gorgeous daughter who goes to Columbia, where she’s studying film. [This is a] generational issue, and we wanted the catalog to reflect that we’re a multi-generational brand.

Raee and Liya KebedeCourtesy of J. Crew

That’s what’s interesting too, about designing the clothes, and knowing who our customer is—she’s the grandmother and the granddaughter and everyone in between. The catalog was really centered around the idea of generations of friends and families and all ages of people. [Liya and her daughter] were so cute and amazing and made me envy that…I have sons, who I love, but the mother-daughter relationship, they just really vibed off each other so beautifully.

And they’re two cool New York women.

Exactly. They knew what they were doing. We also have a shoot at Cafe Gitane, which is a little cafe in Nolita [run by] a father and his sons and their dog. And the girls that work there are just lovely and cool, so we just dressed up the staff and the whole family.

Courtesy of J. Crew

Courtesy of J. Crew

I think Gitane was the first place that I visited when I came to New York, I think my parents brought me to New York when I was 15. It must’ve been in the mid-’90s—I just remember everyone looked so cool. Coming from Toronto…not that people aren’t cool there, they are. But New York—there’s a style within New York. You’d go to New York and you’d see things you wouldn’t see anywhere else. I just remember the guys were so handsome and the girls were so gorgeous. I saved up to go to Marc by Marc Jacobs and buy myself a little pencil skirt and I wore it to Cafe Gitane.

Tell me about the spring collection. What are your must-have basics?

For spring there are a lot of really great, easy silhouettes. Linen’s also a really big business for us. It’s very heritage and it continues to be so strong for us and for our customer.

We’ve introduced a few new linen shapes: One of them is a pull-on pant that just has a little tiny drawstring on the waist. We have another pant that has a light elastic back and a flat front, so it could be a pull-on, but it also has a zipper fly, so it’s more of a trouser. We have a beautiful linen pleated skirt that’s kind of low waisted with belt loops, so you can toughen it up a little bit with a belt.

We also have amazing T-shirts in a new featherweight quality. And our cashmere assortment really continues to be strong even in spring and summer. I think transitionally, too, with the weather changing, cashmere still continues to be something that works.

When I think of J.Crew, I think of the classics. How would you describe your approach to tackling these classic shapes in a way that feels very you, or new?

Some shapes are meant to be very classic, and some are a little bit more pushed. For me it’s about layering and personal style. That’s where you can bring the edge.

As an example, we have the barn jacket, which is a proprietary item to us we’ve had since the ‘80s. We’re just playing on that, playing with texture. We’ve been doing this laminated linen with our core barn jacket, but we’ve added some pockets, and the gold buttons—[it looks] edgy when you put it on, but it’s a very classic silhouette. And it’s also water resistant.

For our cashmere shapes, we have classic proportions, but we also have a pushed proportions, like our beautiful oversized deep V-neck.

We have our oversized crew, which is based off of the men’s sweater. So you can play that kind of boyfriend aspect as well. Within knits we have shrunken baby tees, but then we’ll also have a classic tee, and an oversized tee. So again, because we’re multi-generational, we have shapes for everybody, that’s always what we’ve done. It’s really about having all of those shapes available and then having certain pieces that are more “pushed” for the girl who wants that.

J.Crew Collection Barn Jacket in Laminated Linen

J.Crew Harbor Pants in Linen

I love calling it “pushed.” Like these items push the boundaries of a classic.

Yeah, I think a fit is everything in clothing, it’s more than people realize. So you can wear a V-neck and it can look dated or you can wear a V-neck and it can look luxurious and sexy.

I think sometimes people think people get stuck in their sizes, but if you actually wear something that’s really big, it looks more expensive. It’s just about playing with proportion too. A trouser being oversized—even buying a trouser a size too big and belting it—can make things look very luxurious. You can wear it with a tight little T-shirt to play with that proportion.

I grew up in 2000s diet culture, and I was very hung up on sizes for a long time. The idea of sizing up used to scare me, but it seems like a really cool way to update the fit of a garment, to add something on your own.

It’s very heritage for us too. Even though we were always a dual gender brand, in the beginning we were designing men’s clothes for women.

I wear the men’s Kenmare blazer, and it’s big on me, but I like the way that looks because it’s definitely very “pushed.” And if I wear that with kind of a fitted jean, it looks really great. Or just steal it from your husband or boyfriend if you have one.

I feel like belts are having a moment.

Huge, huge moment. All over the runways, everything is belts, belts, belts, belts, belts.

What’s a new way to wear a belt?

I have all different widths—I have a really skinny belt, which I wear on a regular basis with high-waisted jeans. And then when I wear more of a low-waisted trouser, I go for a wider belt.

A lot of the skirts we’ve been selling have belt loops so that you can add that detail. Personal style is all about texture, and so for me, adding texture through an accessory, like a leather belt or gold jewelry, helps make your outfits feel less plain. You can take these classic pieces and add onto them.

J.Crew Thin Suede Belt

J.Crew Pleated Wool-Blend Skirt

I’m very excited to bust out some of my older belts.

You might only need one. Sometimes I’ll wear one belt for the whole season and it’s just like, that’s it. One really unique belt, or one really unique shoe can take pieces that are otherwise classic and push the proportion.

J.Crew has a preppy DNA. I was rereading some old interviews you did, and it seemed like you kind of shied away from the word prep. Was that me reading into it? How do you feel about the term “preppy?”

I think it had its bad connotations and its good. Prep right now works in a way that’s subversive because everybody can participate. I think it used to be more singular, but right now it’s something that everyone can play in and everybody can be a part of.

There’s certain pieces like rugby’s and polos and sports centric things that I associate with prep, but we do it in a way that feels like it’s fashion versus prep school. I think a lot of brands are playing in prep right now. It’s just become this really cool way of dressing. It kind of goes in and out, but it’s having a revival.

I love that it’s so inclusive. People are having fun with it and messing with it. Even someone like Simone Rocha—at her last show she had all the rugby shirts with ruffles. When you can break the norm and make something new and exciting…that’s why I’m in fashion.

Whenever I see your mirror selfies, and you’re wearing these preppier staples, I’m like, how does she look so polished? Because when I wear a buttoned-down shirt, I sit on it and it crinkles funny, and then my collars never lay right. Do you have a trick for making things look the way they’re kind of supposed to look?

I guess number one, I would say those are photographs, and it’s a selfie. When you take a picture of yourself, you can style yourself in a way, or move your body in a way where it might look perfect. But I think ultimately I try to put pieces together that I can actually work and walk in and be comfortable in. I might have a heel in the office, but I’ll probably switch into a sneaker when I walk home.

Instagram/@olympiamarie

Do you press your clothing though?

Sometimes. I have a steamer and an iron at home, and it’s usually a very last minute morning thing where I’m like, “Damn, I wish I had my shirts pressed” and I don’t, and then I’ll press one when I’m about to wear it.

I need to know your hair care routine. Just tell me everything.

I wash my hair at night because my hair is really curly and quite frizzy, so if I go out with wet hair in the day, it just becomes enormous and out of control. I use a leave-in conditioner in the shower from Oribe. And then I use this cream called the Super Shine Cream, and I brush that through my hair when it’s wet and then I pull my hair [over my shoulders in front of me] like I’m about to do two braids, but I twist the two sides and then I scrunch it.

When you twist your hair first before scrunching, it creates more controlled curls. Sometimes if you’re just scrunching your hair, it’ll be crazy.

So you sleep with wet hair?

I sleep with wet hair. I’ve always done that. And then when I wake up, I’ll use a little bit more of the Super Shine cream. There’s an Oribe hair oil that I really love because my hair is really dry, and because it’s curly, so it just eats up everything. So I put a lot of oil at the ends to get it to be soft.

Any beauty products you use every day?

I wear a lot of Gucci Westman makeup. It’s really moisturizing and nourishing. I don’t like to look like I’m wearing makeup, and I feel like her makeup just really just goes into your skin beautifully and makes you look glowy and it keeps you moisturized. I love the All-Over Illuminator Drops. I love her mascara, which comes in this red hot tube. It’s so sexy and gorgeous. She has this product called the Super Loaded Tinted Highlighter, it’s a compact powder. I don’t normally like powder, but it’s so light that it just kind of gives you bronzing and highlighting. It’s like I’ll just put the glow drops and that on, and that’s it.

I love Farah Homidi’s lipstick [which comes] with a lip balm. The color is called Nude One, and it’s my go-to everyday lipstick. I feel like I can’t live without lipstick. I need some kind of color, color on my lip. Otherwise I just feel like I look tired. It’s like my thing.

I also love the Mary Veronique products, she has this refined and fortifying essential kit. It says it’s for [ages] 30 plus. So I’m like, that’s cool for me. I love Clé de Peau, they have a great sunblock.

Do you have anything that you would consider a uniform? Maybe a formula.

Definitely. I always love a great pair of jeans. I wear a rigid denim personally, but I love a great, either a high-waisted or a low-waisted kind of loose kind of boyish jean. I wear a lot of white denim. I feel like there’s something about that that’s just very clean and easy. I love a trouser.

Usually with jeans, I’ll wear a beautiful cashmere sweater with a T-shirt under it, or I’ll wear a button-down. And then I love a third piece. Right now I’m wearing a shearling lady jacket. But I love the idea of a lady jacket or a big oversized blazer. I’m really all about layering, and having that third piece gives you a little bit of a shoulder.

I also love to style myself in more dramatic ways, but since I’ve had kids, my style has definitely become more uniform. It takes time to really come up with interesting combinations. Sometimes when I take selfies, I’ll block off a couple of hours to try on different looks for myself, because I’m doing it not just for myself, but also to show our customer how to wear things. But when it comes to my actual life and getting ready and getting up in the morning, there’s a very small amount of time for me to get ready. So it ends up being something that’s kind of uniform, like a jean, a blazer, a T-shirt.

J.Crew New Relaxed Emilie Sweater Lady Jacket

J.Crew High-Rise Denim Trouser Jeans

Have you found that being a mom changes anything about what goes into one of your designs?:

Oh, yeah. Definitely. In every industry, we all project ourselves onto what we do. I’ve had certain things that have been through lines with my style throughout my life, but there’s definitely things that have changed. I dressed very differently in my twenties to my thirties, and now in my forties. Right now I’m much more practical because I have less time and I have my job and I have the kids. In my twenties, I was running around in Victorian dresses and combat boots. I don’t know, I was just so free. And now I’m more structured in how I dress, but I try to add freedom with a designer shoe or a beautiful bag or a special piece of jewelry.

Being a mom definitely affects how I design because I think I’m thinking about the J.Crew woman all the time. It’s a balance of art and commerce. You want that thing to be exciting and beautiful to [the customer], but you also want it to be practical. We need to be comfortable. We need to be able to walk, we need to be able to run, we need to be able to get on the subway, drive our cars, whatever it is. It also has to be multi-dimensional—to go on a date, go to dinner, go dancing, all of those things.

Do you have a go-to pair of sneakers right now?

I love Spalwart. They’re Swedish. And I love Nike. There’s a J.Crew pair called the Rec sneaker that just came out—they’re really, really soft, like a leather mesh combo. I’ve been wearing them in bright red.

I feel like I’ve noticed a lot of pop of red moments and especially the last couple collections. Is that a color you’ve always loved?

Red’s a neutral to me. A red lipstick is a staple or a red nail polish is a staple, just like a red shoe or a red handbag or a red sweater. It’s kind of like that with leopard or a polka dot too. These prints are just very, very neutral in a way.

It’s also sexy. It’s very much part of a woman to have that side, to have that side of femininity. And I think that even if we dress preppy or we dress this or we dress that, having that sensuality is always so nice and red really is a color that I feel like brings that out. It’s juicy. It’s beautiful. It’s like when you put on a red lipstick, you’re like, “Oh, okay, I’m going somewhere.” The same with a red sweater, or a red coat.

What was the last great book you read?

I’m reading On Beauty by Zadie Smith right now. I’m also reading the Waiting Game: The Untold Stories of Women Who Served the Tudor Queens by Nicola Clark.

What did you think you wanted to be when you grew up when you were a kid?

I grew up in fashion—my mother was a designer, so I was definitely really intrigued by that world, seeing it around me and seeing all of her creative friends. And my parents were definitely very out there creatively, so I always knew I was going to be creative, I had that bug, and I was good at drawing and painting and all those things.

When I look back on my childhood sketches and all that, there were a lot of girls in dresses and girls going on vacations and falling in love, wearing this and that. It was always about what they were wearing.

It sounds like you were making little J.Crew catalogs.

Something like that. Part of my job is creating the storyline and creating the concept, but also how do we articulate our vision through the photo shoots and how do we engage the customers visually? So I think that’s always been, for me, it’s been bigger than just the designing of the clothes, but actually sort of articulating a story.

I went to art school for painting because I was really into painting and I still am, but then I ended up designing on the side for friends and living in New York, and the fashion industry just beckoned. It was just so exciting. I was styling, I was doing this, I was doing that and working at a modeling agency and doing a hundred different things, and I just ended up swinging in that direction just because the pace for me, it felt very invigorating at the time.

Do you still feel invigorated by the pace?

Yeah. I mean, sometimes it’s tiring, but it is really fun. I like change. When you’re a designer, you have to at least be open to evolution because it’s always changing. Always, always, always. So I do like the pace of that.

What is your go-to thank you gift?

Flowers for sure. I love receiving flowers and I feel like people do too.

If you get home and there’s flowers there waiting for you, it’s amazing. When people send me them, I’m always shocked and excited.

Do you have a low-stakes treat at the end of the day?

Chocolate and meditation.

I have chocolate every night before bed, and I meditate every night, or I try to. Yoga and meditation are supreme treats for me, because everything is so fast in my life that they slow me down. It’s that moment to relish your mind and your body and actually take time to think about the gift of your body and your mind and all of those things.

Do you have a morning routine?

My morning routine is fast and furious. I think my nighttime routine is more organized. Once I get my kids to bed, I put all my face products on and I’ll meditate, and like I said, have some chocolate, make a tea for myself. Sometimes I’ll take a bath. And the morning is like, I love to sleep. I think it’s really important for me to get at least eight hours of sleep

I lost a lot of sleep having kids for the last few years. So now that they’re both sleeping normally, if I can sleep till seven, I will. I should probably be waking up at six. But I wake up at seven, and then we are out of the door by 8:15.

I get up, I make the kids’ food, I make myself and my husband coffee. He helps get the kids dressed and we swap turns dropping them off.

What are the best and worst qualities in a boss?

I think the best qualities in a boss is when somebody can acknowledge your skills and your talents. I think for bosses that I’ve had, and for me as I try to be a boss, just really leaning into people and what they’re good at and championing that and giving them the space and the freedom to let their ideas be alive. Just let people have autonomy in what they do and not micromanage.

Worst qualities?

When you work for a legacy brand, I could easily say, “No, we don’t do that.” Or, “No, we don’t do things like that.” And I feel like I try to see myself as a change maker, and I want to be able to have younger designers come into the organization and say, “I love this idea.” And then I’m like, “Okay, let’s try it.” I won’t ever say we can’t try something. If somebody really wants to try it, we try it and then we see if it works or it doesn’t work. So I think just being able to give people freedom. Creatives’ entire being is getting excited by the opportunity to create new things, so stifling them, it doesn’t ever work in your favor.

Has your social media philosophy changed since you went public on Instagram? Have you set any clear boundaries or come up with any mantras for yourself about it?

I’ve always been a very private person, and so I think I just try to keep it super work-focused and really creative-focused. I guess I have some unwritten rules for myself of what I am showing, and if I have new ideas, I’ll add them into the mix. It’s just mostly about trying to show people what I’m inspired by, whether it’s what I’m wearing or what I’m putting on the wall or the books that I’m looking at or the gallery shows that I’m going to or whatever. It’s very much about creative-based, not about feelings or anything.