Jessica Mulroney Is the Real Fashion Royalty
I’m posted up on a stool in Jessica Mulroney’s spotless Toronto kitchen, the marble countertop covered in platters of steak strips, smoked salmon, and sliced veggies. Dressed in jeans and Adidas Star Wars shell toes (“I’m a sneaker freak; I’ve been collecting since I was in my 20s,” she says later, pointing to her Stormtrooper-ed toes), Mulroney rushes to the door to pop a kiss on the cheek of chef Matt Basile, a friend of the family who just bustled into the house with trays of food and a pitcher of hibiscus margaritas. Mulroney is the kind of woman who lives by her own rule, “Cocktail hour starts after you do three things,” and bounces across the room to give me a high five when the tequila, her “happy trigger,” appears. After 10 minutes in her company, I want to reveal my darkest secrets. After 15, I’m certain we’re best friends.
In Canada, Mulroney is fashion royalty: brand consultant, bridal authority, fashion contributor (on Citytv’s CityLine), and Instagram star. In the U.S., the newly minted Good Morning America “fashion guru” is better known as the best friend of Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex. Though the public sees Mulroney as Markle's "unofficial stylist," Mulroney doesn’t consider herself a stylist at all-nor does she want to be one. “Styling is such a small part of what I do,” she says between chews. “I have, like, 10 jobs. People don't know that I work so much on the back end of things. They think I'm just dressing people. My business is with brands.”
Smythe blazer and pants, Theory top, Christian Dior bag, Christian Louboutin heels.
As we toast our first round, Mulroney maps out the minutiae of her job. It’s not an exaggeration to call her the fairy godmother of Canadian fashion; through the years, she's held myriad positions in behind-the-scenes branches of the industry-sales, marketing, PR, et cetera-and now channels that experience into consulting (translation: she knows how to get you to buy things). But her passion lies in advocating for Canadian brands.
A week earlier, Mulroney offered a glimpse into her professional process on the set of her BAZAAR.com photo shoot. In the airy penthouse at Brooklyn’s Williamsburg Hotel, she showed off her signature style with a parade of jewel tones, jumpsuits, and dramatic accessories. For a demonstration of her approach to travel (lots of layers and an oversize Gucci bag), Mulroney shrugged into an animal-print coat from Nonie, revealing that Markle's July 2018 appearance in a trench dress from the Calgary-based brand saved the house from shutting down.
“It's tough to be a designer. It is really tough to be a Canadian designer,” she says later, citing the challenges of entering the U.S. market, finding retailers, and sustaining a business. “Sometimes all you need is that onetime break and it'll change your life. If you get your item on a celebrity, that's almost like the top of the top-a new way of creating business.” In Mulroney’s world, every bare arm and empty earlobe are opportunities. “I have a lot of friends in the entertainment business and I myself have a significant Instagram account, so I can throw them a bone and wear the earrings if I like them. Or if I know somebody's doing a red carpet, I'll be like, ‘Hey, you should try these.’ It's kind of organic, but if I can do it, it usually does help.”
Aritzia top, Hugo pants, A.P.C. earrings, Louis Vuitton necklace and bag, Christian Louboutin heels.
So, yes, one could say Mulroney acts as a stylist sometimes. After all, she first rose to public prominence advising Canada's first lady, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, in 2015. And she occasionally works with Canadian celebrities like Shania Twain, whom she dressed for the CCTV awards last year. She’s also a fount of fashion inspiration for those closest to her, as well as people she's never met. “I do have a lot of friends who ask for my advice and I get a lot of women who come to me, real women who write to me and say, ‘I don't have a lot of money, but I have my daughter's wedding coming up. Can you suggest something to wear?’ I'll screen grab things for them and send them through Instagram. I do it all the time with my mom.”
These days, the bulk of Mulroney’s styling stems from her wedding clients. (She's worked with “about 30 NHL brides,” she says, laughing.) Her big break came in 2013 by way of a phone call from Canadian “fashion superpower” Bonnie Brooks, then head of famed department store Hudson’s Bay. Mulroney was a month away from giving birth to daughter Ivy, but that didn’t stop her from joining the team tasked with launching Kleinfeld in Canada. “It was in the height of Say Yes to the Dress,” she recalls. “Starting something from the ground up and then also being able to apply all the different things I knew, I was like, ‘I wanna be a part of this project.’”
L.K. Bennett jumpsuit, Eriness earrings, Manolo Blahnik heels, Gucci belt, Hermes bag.
Mulroney was working as the Canadian distributor of lingerie brands like Cosabella and La Perla when she got the call. Though fashion runs in her blood (her maiden name, Brownstein, betrays her association with the iconic Canadian chain Browns Shoes, founded by her great-grandfather in the 1940s, and her own father was in Montreal’s “shmatte business,” the city’s famous garment trade), she had zero experience in the bridal business. “Here I was, suddenly opening up this bridal salon with a couple of other women, and it wasn't just a bridal salon-it was one of the biggest bridal salons in the world.” Six years later, Mulroney finds wedding dress shopping “calming,” and it’s clear she’s skilled in soothing the anxious bride: “I already know we're gonna find the dress. Women put so much pressure on it because it's the dress of their lives, and most have not tried on any kind of dresses like that before.” She adapted the method from her own 2008 wedding, which was mostly planned by her mother, mother-in-law, and “groomzilla” husband Ben Mulroney. “I wasn't a girl who dreamt about her wedding, so I think I come [to styling] with that energy. And also, I've never worked with a bride where we haven't found a dress.“
Thanks to Mulroney's background in weddings and her fashion expertise, the world assumes she worked with Markle to plan her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. The three Mulroney children-eight-year-old twins John and Brian and five-year-old Ivy-served as page boys and bridesmaid. “This is my first interview that I’ve done since the wedding or anything,” Mulroney admits, but that’s about all she’ll say about her best friend. “Listen, every person has to have a bit of privacy in their life. There are certain things I hold very dear and secret,” she states evenly. “There are things I'll never talk about for sure. My life is an open book, but there's always a few secret pages in the back that nobody will be able to read.”
Christian Dior dress and heels.
Mulroney’s wedding was a dress rehearsal for the scrutiny she now faces. Ben is the son of former prime minister Brian Mulroney (Mulroney Sr. gave an eulogy at George H. W. Bush’s funeral back in December) and is the anchor of CTV's etalk and co-host of Your Morning. At the time of their marriage, Ben was hosting Canadian Idol; a 2008 Canadian Press report from the couple’s wedding noted a “throng of media” at the October 30 ceremony at St. Patrick's Basilica in Montreal. In 2017, Toronto Life described Ben as “easily one of the most recognizable faces in the country.”
But the magnifying glass went global after Mulroney walked hand-in-hand with Ivy up the steps of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018. (A photo of the moment is framed in the Mulroney living room.) The week after Mulroney's BAZAAR.com shoot, news broke of a secret baby shower for Markle in New York, and a media maelstrom ensued. Paparazzi photos show Mulroney arriving to the Mark Hotel, where Markle's shower took place, and a few days later, the U.K. Daily Mail published an item blasting her talent, falsely reporting that her position with GMA was in jeopardy because she declines to talk about her association with the duchess on-air. “It’s not journalism. There’s no truth to it. [If] they decide they want to ruin somebody, they just will,” Mulroney asserts quietly. “It comes with the territory. There are so many benefits to certain things, but then also a lot of negativity that you have to deal with at the same time," she says of invasive tabloid culture. “You have to stay positive.” Two days later, Mulroney announced the continuation of her relationship with ABC on Instagram. A GMA executive tells BAZAAR.com, “Jess is incredibly talented and brings a smart eye to accessible style. She is intimately involved with each of her segments from the initial pitch to the model fittings to each of the tips and takeaways for our viewers. We love working with her.”
Nonie coat, Karen Millen top, Rag & Bone jeans, Gucci bag and sneakers, Oscar de la Renta necklace.
Back in the Mulroney kitchen, our three-hour conversation is occasionally punctuated by a thump, squeal, or the shuffling of tiny feet from upstairs-“the 'Fortnite' zone” as Mulroney puts it. (“I'm getting rid of that,” she groans of the mega-popular video game. “I can’t stand it.”) When the children do appear, they cling to their mother, delivering kisses and singsongy “I love you”’s. Mulroney’s 290,000 Instagram followers are already acquainted with the trio, but they’re even cuter in person. “There's this misconception that I have a life; my life is work and family,” Mulroney says several times throughout afternoon. She recounts how, upon landing in Toronto from New York the night before, Ben was waiting at the same gate for a flight to L.A. to cover the Oscars. “When we're together, we wanna be super present with the kids and each other and spend all the time that we can together," Mulroney says. "My social life has really taken a little beating, but my girlfriends all understand. I'm just too tired. I just wanna be home with the kids.”
Mulroney confesses to getting in her own fashion ruts “all the time,” noting it can be particularly difficult for working and new moms. “Even when you work from home, getting yourself dressed is the first step. I often find there are days where I’ll be in my pajamas all day. I feel like a useless human being,” she admits. “It's all about getting dressed in the morning. It's not going to be a runway outfit, but making sure you do something. Don't be in Lululemon every day.” She remembers the “what is happening?” delirium of new motherhood, and asserts the importance of having a foot planted outside the “mom world.” “To be a good mom you have to step away from it for a minute. Whether that's getting out of the mom outfit or hanging out with your girlfriends-and not just your mom group friends-hanging out with other women.”
Altuzarra top and pants, Jimmy Choo boots.
Contrary to her gown-filled Instagram and glamorous TV appearances, Mulroney is adamant her life isn't perfect. She’s candid about the impostor syndrome that informed her early career and the guilt she feels when work takes her from home. “The idea of balance just does not exist,” she declares. Instead, it’s the pride in her work that grounds her. “I don't take myself too seriously. I never think I'm the smartest person in the room. I didn't invent something; I just chose to find my strengths and do things that make me happy and work with businesses I'm proud of and create strategies that I think work. And so far, so good, but I'm not changing the world.” She lets out a low laugh, then grows serious. “I always want to be recognized for the work I do and not the company I keep. It's not about the shiny objects and the outfits and it's not about the vacations you take or the people you hang out with.” She cites the Shoebox Project, the charity she co-founded with her sisters-in-law Caroline, Katy, and Vanessa Mulroney, as an example of the legacy she hopes to leave. The organization provides boxes filled with small gifts and handwritten sentiments to women living in shelters; since its founding in 2011, the charity has expanded across Canada and into the U.S., with 45,000 boxes delivered during the 2018 holiday season alone. “The idea is somebody in your community is giving you a little gift, saying that you are cared for and that you're not forgotten and that somebody is rooting for you.”
As I’m headed out the Mulroney front door laden with gifts-her favorite cookbook, Amy Rosen’s Toronto Cooks, and a face spray for my flight back to New York-she pauses. “It’s actually kind of nice to be able to tell my story. There’s a lot of misconceptions about what I do, and it’s nice to be able to tell people that.” And, Mulroney says, she wants her new audience to see fashion as something enjoyable rather than intimidating. “Fashion is supposed to be fun. It's not supposed to be this scary thing, and a lot of women shy away from it because they think it's complicated or because they don't know how that would work in their everyday life. You can put on a cool blue suit. You can look amazing! And you can go to work feeling great. It totally changes your attitude.” Accessibility is the first mandate. “How can you look good and feel good, but not necessarily have the disposable income to do it? The average person can't afford a Dior dress. If you have money, it's easy.”
Despite her position in the public eye, Mulroney very much considers herself a normal person. She shudders when I attempt to describe her as famous. On set the week before, she laughed about getting an impulsive tattoo in Brooklyn years earlier, during a “sexy, pre-kids” trip to New York with Ben. She quizzed an editor about a pair of jeans-a rare style of Levi’s-and frantically typed the details of their origin, a SoHo vintage shop, into her phone. And while fashion is always on her mind, she doesn’t want anyone to think it’s the most important part of her life. “I was never obsessed with fashion. I was never the girl needing to know every trend walking down the runway. I know that you don't have to be obsessed with fashion in order to make it cool.”
Photography by Allie Holloway | Hair and Makeup by Rachel Renna | Special thanks to the Williamsburg Hotel
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