As a carnival costume designer, Bonnie Lee prides herself on putting her best looks forward. She is also an entrepreneur who recently launched the Mile High Club, an exclusive party experience that will have you floating above the clouds. Today, Living takes a journey into her closet to find out just how she stays ahead of the curve in the fashion department.
“Fashion is a way of expressing yourself. It’s a way of being different; of talking out loud without uttering a single word. I am a huge creative so fashion is an expression of who I am.
And I am big on being different, especially as a woman with my body type. Most of my outfits are customised and tailored to my taste.” At a young age, Lee entered the Mini Miss Jamaica competition at eight years old.
There, she won the prize for the most groomed. “I’ve always had a unique sense of style,” she said, recounting that she wore this big beautiful sequined ball gown, which swept the floor, complemented by a bow in her hair. She credits her mother for her diverse influence.
“My mom would always put me in different types of outfits; not usually things you would see others wearing. She always had a seamstress on deck,” Lee said, a practice she has carried into her adult years. In the public’s eye, she officially became a fashionista back in 2014, when she became a carnival costume designer.
Known for bringing a distinctly unique twist to costume couture, she appreciated the compliments received from those in the industry who understood and respected the subtle nuances, authenticity and craftsmanship. Naturally, the designer turned heads. Lee describes her personal style as fitted, unique, extra(vagant), colourful, out of the box and confident.
With a waist smaller than her hips and her derriere, the fashionista aimed to solve her style dilemma in two ways. She would either create outfits from scratch, rock her own designs or purchase apparel that fitted bigger and make the necessary alterations. “I am all about concealing the features of my body that I am not necessarily a fan of and highlighting the parts that I love.
As thicker women, the high waist is our friend. But if you want to look snatched a certain way, then you wear a high waist with a belt of a thicker waistband. But then you can have it like a pleat and let it fall right then and there, instead of curving around your stomach.
That way, you can see the definition of your waist, which will be smaller,” she said. So she will find a way to take the eyes away from the tummy area and focus on the chest, which is a highlight for her. She will wear more full sleeves and roll them up to her elbows to cover her arms.
“I don’t believe in just wearing whatever you want. What I am a firm believer of is finding or creating looks that fit your body type, knowing how to accentuate what looks good on you and walking out in confidence,” she added. Her closet essentials include high-waist bottoms: all of her pants rub on the floor.
Lee is a lover of neons in any colour. She is also a fan of nice, cute flats. Wigs and hairpieces are must-haves, “My hair has to match how I feel and pair with my outfits.
” And owning four pairs of tested glasses, her stylish frames have become the ultimate conversation starters for those who are in sight of them. “The one I am currently wearing is a gold cat-eye frame with cutouts.” Naming her parents as her style icons, she admired the dapper movements of her father who would step out in a suit with a tophat and cane and the ‘gator’ shoes to match.
Then, she fashions her mother’s approach to bright colours. For those looking to find their style, Lee advises that you engage in the technique of trial and error. “It’s okay to try new things.
It’s important to figure out what suits your body type. Not all bodies are created equal. There are things that smaller women can wear and get away with.
While, if a bigger woman wears it, it’s sexualised or seen as too much. On the flip side, full-figured women can pull off a high-waist outfit far more than a slimmer girl because we have the hips for it. So it’s all about finding the balance or what works for you.
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