My Style: Amanda Lew Kee
Photo: Felix Wong — Courtesy of Amanda Lew Kee
Q: Would you say that you are conservative or bold?
I like to think I am a little of both. I have a conservative personality but I like to express the rebel in me through form of dress. I love looks that cover the body from neck to wrist to ankle but have a mysterious peek-a-boo sex appeal; sheer fabrics, versatile zip on and off attachments, thigh-high slits that are only seen when in movement.
Q: Please describe your style in three words.
Refined, transitional, progressive.
Q: What is the biggest mistake one can make when getting dressed?
Following trends versus dressing for one’s personal style.
Q: Do you believe in role models?
Yes — in philosophy.
Q: What are your favourite fabrics?
Anything stretch, leather, and sheer.
Q: Are there any style combinations that you object to?
To each their own.
Q: Which city has the best-dressed women?
Milanese and Parisian women are very well put together from head to toe, including their attitude. I also love women from NY, the grungier street scene; they really live the lifestyle of their appearance. I am mesmerized by the attitude and character of a person before I notice the way they’re dressed — clothing should be an accentuating feature, the outer shell that matches the inner.
Q: What are the rules, if any, in the way you dress?
The rule is that there are no rules.
Q: Celebrities and style…
Should be iconic.
Q: One garment/accessory that you can never have enough of?
A well-crafted handbag!
Q: A woman should always look like…
She is confident.
Q: Who taught you what you know about style?
My intuition and love for minimal design. I look through a lot of architecture blogs, my idea of design porn.
Q: How do you select your clothing every morning?
I usually wake up with a garment in mind that I want to wear for that specific day. Then, depending on variables such as the occasion and weather, I will pair it with pieces to dress the full look up or down. This takes about three minutes, and another minute to apply my cat eye liner.
Q: What is your biggest regret?
No regrets, just lessons learned.
Q: The three essential things a woman should know about style are…
Create your own look, your own persona. Find good quality that you resonate with, these pieces should make you feel something positive — whether it be confidence, elegance, sex appeal, or comfort. Make sure that you are wearing your clothes and that the clothes aren’t wearing you — that is when fashion and style become a living coexistence of one’s consciousness.
Q: Do you have any shopping rituals?
Not really.
Q: We will never see you wearing…
Kitten heels.
Q: Which new designers do you follow and why?
Anne Sofie Madsen, I showed with her at Gen Art’s Fresh Faces in Fashion, New York. Her pieces are beautiful; she takes her audience into different realms of creativity while keeping her designs wearable.
Q: Who is the most stylish person you have ever seen?
Most recently, a woman walking down Lafayette Street during women’s buying week in NY. She wore a black maxi knit skirt with a thigh high side slit, which I LOVE. A grey hoodie with thumb cut outs under a black tailored wool men’s blazer. Roughed up white converse sneakers, a NY Yankees ball cap, and silver metallic aviators. Sounds like an over-styled look but the woman wore the outfit like a second skin. She even walked at a fast pace as she pulled a hard drag from her cigarette — it was as if she ruled the city and the street was hers to walk on.
Q: What is the first thing you notice on a woman?
Leather accessories.
Q: What are the most treasured items in your wardrobe?
Purses.
Q: The one image that defined your approach to style…
When I was living in New York, summer of 2011, the core of the city was steaming hot. Walking three blocks would build a sweat upon any clothed back. I came back to Toronto for a visit and most of my wardrobe was left in NY, so I borrowed a few pieces from my mother’s closet. She lives a very active lifestyle; spinner, runner, tennis player, to list a few. The high performance fabrics of dry fit and quick dry felt like butter, a luxury butter but different from a cashmere or rayon that I’m so use to. This made me wonder why there is very little high fashion designed around comfort and function. Thus came SS13 — a collection of refined transitional separates inspired by an active lifestyle.
Q: One article of clothing that a woman needs to pay close attention to is…
A well-tailored jacket.
Q: Is comfort an enemy of style?
Comfort and style coexist in reality.
Q: Which designer never fails to impress you?
Maison Martin Margiela.
Q: Who would you like to see next in “My Style”?
Anne Sofie Madsen.
Q: The best words of advice you have ever heard?
Know your end goal and when to end.
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