Lyons won Glamour's 2012 Women of the Year award. She holds a position on the Council of Fashion Designers of America Board of Directors.
Much of Lyons' outlooks and interests stem from her childhood experiences. About her childhood, she states that her genetic condition "made me introverted, but it was also the reason I loved fashion, because it can change who you are and how you feel, and that can be magical." Her mother was a piano Teacher who encouraged her to get involved creatively, leading to her interest in fashion. She loved to rebel against her school uniform, and she learned to sew in seventh grade, which granted her more confidence. One of her personal motivations for success stems from witnessing her parents' divorce and having to never rely on a man to get by. Due to her interest and talent for fashion, Lyons attended Parsons and graduated in 1990.
When current CEO and chairman Millard Drexler was hired in 2003, he and Lyons began to form a close relationship. The two were key players in helping J.Crew triple its revenue from just short of $690 million in 2003 to just shy of $2 billion in 2011. In 2008, Drexler appointed Lyons the executive creative Director, and in 2010 he appointed her President as well. Lyons has said her holding both of these roles, "no financial decision weighs heavier than a creative decision. They are equal." In this role, Lyons oversaw the over one hundred designers of J.Crew and directed the layouts, designs, and looks for the J.Crew catalog, or as the company calls it, its Style Guide.
Lyons was married to Artist Vincent Mazeau for nine years, with whom she had a son, Beckett. In 2011, however, the couple divorced and sold their Brooklyn townhome. In 2012, she publicly acknowledged her relationship with Courtney Crangi, and as of 2013 she was living in Tribeca with her son, Beckett. Lyons and Crangi split up in December 2017.
Lyons won Glamour's 2012 Women of the Year award. She holds a position on the Council of Fashion Designers of America Board of Directors.
Lyons' departure from J.Crew in 2017 was connected to declining sales and financial problems at the company. Her overarching role overseeing all aesthetic aspects of the brand (including store design and marketing) was not maintained, with the new chief design officer, Somsack Sikhounmuong, focusing more narrowly on women’s, men’s and children’s clothing.
