Custody, money in dispute in J. Crew exec’s divorce

There are a few common elements that usually turn even the most civil of Nevada divorces into messy, bitter splits. Significant assets, disagreements about child custody, the reversal of traditional gender roles, and a spouse that has entered into a new relationship all have a tendency to make a divorce more complicated. This is reportedly what happened in the split of Jenna Lyons, the president and creative director of clothing retailer J. Crew, and her husband of nearly 10 years.

According to media reports, Lyons and her husband, Vincent Mazeau, decided to divorce this summer after Lyons reportedly entered into a relationship with another woman in the fashion industry. Their divorce quickly became contentious, and Mazeau asked the court to award him the family home as well as a large financial settlement.

Mazeau argued that he should be awarded those items in recognition of his sacrifice of his career as an artist in order to remain at home with the couple’s son, allowing Lyons to further pursue her career with J. Crew. In response, she claims that it was her career, which pays her roughly $5 million per year, that allowed Mazeau the freedom and financial ability to pursue his artistic career, and states that she purchased him an art studio.

The couple also reportedly disagreed over who should be granted custody of their five-year-old son, who became the topic of public scrutiny after Lyons included a photo of herself painting her son’s toenails pink in a customer mailer. However, they are believed to be nearing agreements on this and several other issues in their contentious divorce.

Source: New York Post, “J.Crew exec in messy split,” Oct. 25, 2011