White House bails out J. Crew's fashion czar

By: J.P. Freire
Associate Commentary Editor
11/03/09 5:13 PM EST

This cover image released by Glamour shows first lady Michelle Obama on the cover of the Women of the Year Issue.(AP Photo/Glamour)**NO SALES**

Michelle Obama can do wonders for your business. (AP Photo/Glamour)

Michelle Obama's fashion sense might be earning a lot of praise, but one other person is making quite a profit. Jenna Lyons, creative director of J. Crew, oversaw the creation of various outfits worn by the ladies of the first family. For her efforts, she got a one-time cash bonus of $1 million.

But is this overcompensation? After all, the White House pay czar recently slashed compensation for executives receiving government aid, but what better government aid than a ringing fashion endorsement? Perhaps not -- J. Crew didn't receive a taxpayer-funded bailout, and yet strangely the company is expecting its sales and earnings for its third fiscal quarter to be up over earlier projections.

In other words, if the White House really wants to help companies, it should probably forget about spending taxpayer money and instead pursue endorsements and product placement. We'll call them Obamendorsements.

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Reader Comments

All comments on this page are subject to our Terms of Use and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Examiner or its staff. Comment box is limited to 250 words.

Bill

Nov 3, 2009

Yep. . . GM, J. Crew, North Face. . .the list goes on

EyesNailedShut

Nov 4, 2009

Too bad -I really liked (past tense) my J.Crew denim jacket.Hello Goodwill...

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White House bails out J. Crew's fashion czar

By: J.P. Freire
Associate Commentary Editor
11/03/09 5:13 PM EST