I had the pleasure of meeting Nylon magazine’s cool girl Jenna Rose Igneri at an event. I was first struck by her lavender coloured hair and black lipstick.  Over dinner I had such a good chat with this sweet and charismatic Brooklynite, that I had to share her thoughts on meeting Anna Wintour, her love of teacup piglets and get a rundown of her career so far. I also wanted some insider ideas on new places to try in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

How did you get the job at Nylon? I had been working for Allure and heard through a friend that her friend that works for NYLON was looking to hire someone for the digital team, so she put us in touch and we scheduled an interview.

What makes Nylon different? It definitely has a young, fun feel, compared to the corporate vibes I felt while working at Condé Nast.

Describe a typical day. Each day is definitely different from the next, especially when it comes to writing news posts, but I tend to come in each day, sort my “to do” list, and get started on any upcoming features I’m writing before I need to start working on my daily news posts.

Best parts of the job? Editors get sent a lot of free goodies—especially in beauty! You never have to return the samples, so my beauty drawer is definitely now stocked with some really nice products.

Describe the office vibe. Though everyone is always working really hard, it definitely feels a lot more laid back than my previous jobs. Everyone also really gets along, and we have a lot of staff parties/happy hours in the office, which is always a really fun way to end the workday.

Did you always work in fashion? Yup! I interned in the fashion closets of a ton of magazines and websites while in college (NYLON, Glamour, Bullett, StyleCaster, etc.) and started working at Allure after I graduated.

What did you do at Allure? I started there as a fashion closet freelancer for a few months, and then was promoted to fashion assistant where I ran the fashion closet (which entailed a lot of different things). I managed samples, our freelancers, got our trunks from shoot to shoot (including overseas, which is always a whole ordeal), and did market for our front of book pages.

Describe being in a room or elevator with Anna Wintour. You pretty much just hold your breath until it’s over.

How did you meet Kerry Washington? She came out with a collection of nail polishes with OPI, so I met her at the event with other beauty editors. She was an absolute angel (and told me I had cool hair).

How did you meet Kourtney Kardashian? She was the face of this skincare line called Manuka Doctor, so they had a private event for beauty editors to meet her and get familiar with the products. She was pretty bland to be honest (lol).

What about Jessica Alba? I was at her launch event for her haircare line with Honest Beauty. She was also an angel (and told me I had dope hair).

When did the hair color dying start? About two and a half years ago when I decided to go ahead and bleach it.

Who is your beauty icon? Pat McGrath—she is the coolest person ever, and every product she launches is always incredible. But I get some serious inspo from Katie Moore, she’s such an amazing model and has the coolest hair.

Favorite designer? Simone Rocha.

Favorite hair colorist? MINE! David Adams at FourteenJay. He has a ton of celeb clients and is the best! Favorite hair color? When I first went to David, we did this really gorgeous dark green that had hints of turquoise. I felt like a majestic peacock. Favorite person to cut your bangs? My hair stylist John Warren at FourteenJay is also amazing—but I’ve pretty much mastered doing my own in between cuts.

Your cut stays the same, you only change the color, when did the cut start? I got dumped and decided to chop all of my hair off…

How many sunglasses do you have? Probably like, 10 pairs? Favorites? Anything by Thierry Lasry or Karen Walker. How do you pick them? I usually get them as gifts from the brand, I never trust myself to spend money on sunglasses because I tend to lose or break anything expensive.

Top 3 fashion shows you’ve seen? Eckhaus Latta SS17 was amazing… their collection was super gender fluid and their use of models was so diverse, so that was really cool. Same with Chromat! And probably my first one ever that I volunteered at when I first moved to New York… I think it was Staerck? It was just so exciting.

Describe NY fashion week this year. Madness, and WAY too hot.

How do you dress for the day? How do you run all over the city in heels? I tend to dress pretty casual, and I wear a lot of flat boots and sneakers, because NYC sidewalks and heels are never a good match.

Best party? This was a few years ago, but the BULLETT one-year anniversary party was insane. It was at this crazy old church on the Lower East Side, and they filled it with a bunch of trees. Like, not plants, actual trees. Crystal Castles DJed and it was just a pretty wild party overall.

Favorite beauty line/products? Rituel De Fille and Herbivore Botanicals.

Best products for face cream? I only use oils now! But the Lapis Facial Oil by Herbivore Botanicals is my absolute favorite. Lipstick? Pat McGrath’s new line of matte long-lasting lipsticks… they don’t move. Eyebrows? Benefit’s Goof Proof Brow Pencil. Best way to add sparkle? Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Moonchild Highlighter Palette. Nails? Anything by JINSoon!

Describe Nylon’s “1 million followers” celebratory cake gifted from magnolia bakery – looked so delicious! It was very, very sweet. I don’t remember the flavor exactly, but it was pretty magical.

Why the love & fascination with the moon? Just like the moon affects the tides and the Earth, it affects us as individuals. I follow the cycles and tend to perform rituals for every new moon and full moon. It helps me center my intentions for the month and feel more connected to the Earth and spirituality.

Why do you adore teacup pigs? I’ve loved pigs since I was little, and now that it’s possible to have them as a pet, they’re all I want—they’re so cute and super, super smart animals. Waiting for a bigger apartment, first.

Where do you live? I live in Bushwick. It’s really fun, almost all of my friends live in walking distance from me, there’s a ton of amazing music, art, parties, etc. I love it! I literally barely ever go out in Manhattan anymore. I love my community, and all of my friends are here.

Top 5 Brooklyn bars? Alphaville, The Three Diamond Door, Starliner, Birdy’s, Happyfun Hideaway.Top 5 Brooklyn Restaurants? Roberta’s, Mominette, Il Passatore, Champs, Samurai Papa. Best Brooklyn Brunch? Montana’s

Top 5 Manhattan bars? Gallow Green at the McKittrick Hotel, Mr. Purple, Iggy’s, Provacateur, The Library. Top 5 Manhattan Restaurants? Dirt Candy, Jack’s Wife Freda, Angelica Kitchen, Indochine, Egg Shop. Best Manhattan Brunch? La Contenta.

Favorite season? Fall

Favorite pizza? L&B Spumoni Gardens.

Top 5 bands? Orange Juice, Broadcast, Thee Oh Sees, Holydrug Couple, Angel Olsen.

Favorite article you have written and why? Why You Should Start Your Anti-Aging Routine In Your 20s. It was a lot of fun doing research and talking to experts about this. I take my skincare routine very seriously, so it was good to confirm that I’m not just being extra crazy.

How do you come up with your ideas? I draw inspiration from everywhere, whether I see a really cool editorial in an independent print magazine or I read about more controversial issues (fast fashion, etc).

How many do you write a week? I have about 2-4 stories running a day, whether they’re features I’ve spent more time on, or shorter day-off news posts.

How long does it take from start to finish? Depends! I can write a breaking news story in about 45 minutes, or spend days to weeks on longer features.

Fast fashion – thoughts? Really, really bad for the environment. I’ve written articles about how and why we need to change the way we shop.

What are you excited to be wearing this fall and winter? Over-sized sweaters over wide-leg trousers. And a million turtlenecks. I’m also in the market for a new fur cape.

Any travel plans? I’m going up to the Boston area this weekend to meet my boyfriend’s family, and then we’re going to explore New England a little.

Favorite personal trip & why? My boyfriend and I went upstate to Beacon, NY for a little weekend getaway after NYFW, and it was really fun and relaxing. We hiked a bunch and ate a lot of food, and our Air BNB was super cute.

Describe the Miami South Beach experience. Really fun! I was running around to swim shows and events all day in 90+ degree weather, so by night time I was pretty exhausted and didn’t go to most of the parties I was invited to (oops).

Future plans? Looking forward to my next press trip with Unilever in November. We’re going to a fall resort in Montauk, and it’s going to be sooo relaxing before the holiday craziness.

Your best friend moved away – how do you deal with it? I’m still so sad! We still text all of the time, chat on the phone and FaceTime when we can. She’s possibly moving back in December, so I’m hoping she does!

What is the best thing about living in NY and working at Nylon? New York is so exciting! Things are always changing, you always find yourself in some crazy situation (somewhere with some celebrity, some wild party in a random basement, etc.) that you know wouldn’t happen anywhere else. Working for NYLON is also so exciting, as every day is different than the next. I love my team, they’re like family!

Thank you Jenna.  May there be many teacup piggies in your very near future. xx

All photos taken from Jenna’s Instagram with permission. Follow her here.