No, Jenna Lyons Wasn't the First to Wear Jeans to a Reunion — See Housewives Who Went Casual
Although big gowns, sparkly dresses, and fun minis are usually the glam go-to for Real Housewives reunions, more than a few 'Wives have decided to go with pants for the big sit-down.
The glitz! The glam! (Literally). Housewives reunions are an all-out fashion show these days. Just like a first glimpse of the all-important seating chart, what the 'Wives are wearing to hash it out at the end of a season has become a signature part of the must-see specials.
Although known for her signature high-low fashion, Jenna Lyons still surprised some when she wore Levi’s jeans to her first-ever reunion on Season 14’s The Real Housewives Of New York City.
Ever the fashion maven, she paired those jeans with a black Saint Laurent jacket over a sheer Thom Browne white blouse and a black Saint Laurent tie. She also wore sparkly black Dries Van Noten heels.
“Jenna, I have to tell you, in hundreds of reunions, never seen jeans — first time,” Andy Cohen joked at the start of the reunion. “You’re a trailblazer.”
But is that true? Not quite. We have seen jeans before at a reunion, as well as pants, pantsuits, and even jumpers.
Which Housewives have worn pants and jeans to reunions?
Jeana Keough actually had the trailblazing honor of wearing the first-ever jeans at a Housewives reunion all the way back on Season 1 of The Real Housewives of Orange County that aired in the spring and summer of 2006.
Early RHOC featured a lot of jeans paired with sparkly tank tops and halter tops, and Jeana’s reunion choice of a red tank top with her jeans was no exception.
Admittedly, this wasn’t your typical reunion set up: The ‘Wives gathered in a backyard to have a more casual outdoor conversation than what we see now.
Rather than a dress, Jo De La Rosa wore tan capri pants with a black shirt for the outing.
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Going for comfort again in Season 3's reunion, Jeana also wore jeans as she sat next to Tamra Judge in a blue sparkly top and necklace.
When Tamra joined RHOC in Season 3, there were no such things as glam teams, and it was a more casual event. Tamra wore a purple Sky top with a crystal-embellished collar neckline, as well as black pants for that season's reunion.
After a series of dresses, she went back to pants for Season 12’s sit-down, wearing a scarlet jumpsuit with wide-leg bottoms.
She also donned a gold metallic pantsuit for the Season 14 reunion with a one-shoulder puffed sleeve and ankle cuffs.
Jenna also wasn’t the first RHONY cast member to opt for a more more casual look and wear pants instead of a gown or dress to a reunion. Jill Zarin decided to show off her “Team Jill” shirt at the Season 1 reunion with black pants, as all of the other Housewives wore a dress.
Kim Zolciak-Biermann was all business in The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 1 reunion in a yellow silk shirt with a black vest, matched with black dress pants.
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Jumpsuits have also made appearances, such as the one RHOA’s Kandi Burruss wore for what she called “the infamous season 9,” also known as the “’who said that?’” reunion. She donned a sparkly gold number for the occasion.
The Jersey girls have been known to wear their share of jumpsuits, too. Teresa Giudice was feelin’ Jovani when she wore this crystal mirrored Jovani jumpsuit with a plunging neckline and flared bottoms to The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 12 reunion.
RHONJ’s Melissa Gorga also told Bravo she “loves a good jumpsuit,” so much so that she wore them to two reunions in a row.
She rocked a metallic silvery blue jumpsuit from the Walter Collection in Season 9, and another Walter Collection piece, a tuxedo-inspired black sequin jumpsuit with a plunging neckline, for Season 10’s reunion.
Although jumpsuits are in fashion at reunions lately, some Housewives are still turning back to a classic look: pantsuits. Meredith Marks got a lot of attention for her unforgettable feather-filled blue pantsuit on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’s Season 2 reunion.
Despite some criticism, Meredith defended her look to Andy during the January 30, 2022 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
“Well, I loved my reunion look,” Meredith said. “I think it was fun, I think it was pretty. I thought that the sleeve brought back my birthday Season 1. I loved the color, I loved the crystal mesh. I was very happy with it.”
Jenna also defended her reunion look on her Instagram Stories at the end of September, according to PEOPLE, writing, “The reunion — yes I wore jeans and I am not sorry."
