Fearless
With
Precious Lee
From walking the runway for the likes of Versace and Balmain to appearing in iconic campaigns, model PRECIOUS LEE has made fashion history with a string of industry firsts under her belt. Her secret? Breaking the mold by unapologetically being herself. Here, she celebrates feeling free in the season’s most powerful pieces – and tells DANIELLE PRESCOD why being unpredictable is her superpower
Summer is a period of great collective promise. With brighter, longer days, it means time can be filled with activity, movement and possibility. You might, as Beyoncé suggests in Break Your Soul, find new drive, quit your job, fall in love.
For model Precious Lee, the seasonal switch is directing her towards a singular thing: finding freedom. Years deep into a career where she continues to make history, she has learnt to not only stay ‘booked and busy’ but to also look for balance, meaning she’s not headed for the burnout that a nonstop work ethic can bring. As many of us do, she’s working to find a way to be more free – metaphysically and materially.
Lee says that she has always relished the pleasure of getting dressed, emphasizing that style was a gift passed in her genetic code from her parents, both of whom took great delight in clothes. Growing up in Georgia, in the American South, Lee considers a fearless fashion sense to be ever present in her DNA. In terms of her own wardrobe, achieving balance translates as an attraction to clothes that make a statement, and this has increased substantially with age. As the rarely shy runway fixture says: “I love a beautiful color palette. It gives so much energy to a look. Wearing bold colors (like the ones in my shoot for PORTER) can feel really powerful and uplifting.”
“One thing is for SURE: you never need a reason to ‘dress up’ or wear something BOLD. Wear what makes you feel vibrant and FREE, whenever you want”
She is referring to garments like the chartreuse halterneck seersucker bikini by Bottega Veneta, which is destined for opulent summer parties as well as poolside posing. This shoot sees Lee exhibiting ways to play around with warm-weather clothing by elevating beachwear and making a swimsuit transitional – from day to night, or even water to land. Luxurious materials and vivid colors ensure that all eyes will be on you – something Lee is more than comfortable with, thanks to her modeling career. “Precious Lee is a force, and her strength of character is complemented by the fashion mood this season,” says NET-A-PORTER fashion director Kay Barron. “Optimistic, sexy, bold and brilliant, it is fashion to take risks with.”
Lee, who serves as both model and muse for fashion houses such as Versace and Balmain, is often made a canvas for expressing the creativity of others and maintains a sense of self by choosing the kind of clothing that complements her best in both body and spirit. “I switch it up and wear fab colors depending on the season,” she says. “After being quarantined for months in a global pandemic, one thing is for sure: you never need a reason to ‘dress up’ or wear something bold. We all learnt that life is 100 percent too short for that. Wear what makes you feel vibrant and free, whenever you want.”
This season’s fashion is a joyful celebration of strength and sensuality. It reminds us that taking up space is a birthright. It is not something to be collected or earned – a perspective almost antithetical to the dominant narrative on the performance of femininity. “This is the perfect time to experiment with color and shapes, be a little (or a lot) flamboyant, and enjoy playing with clothes, rather than playing it safe,” says Barron. It’s a philosophy that resonates with Lee’s approach to getting dressed. “My style mantra for the season is me asking myself the question: ‘Do you feel free in this?’ If not, ‘next!’ PS: ‘free’ could be anything that feels good – head to toe – on that one day.”
“I hope I inspire WOMEN of all sizes to EMBRACE their individuality in their style and WEAR what feels good”
Singing Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next to anything that doesn’t serve us is a fairly good approach for a lot of things in life, not just seasonal clothing choices. The things that make us feel good (or, as Lee says, free) can vary. Here, Lee sports an Isa Boulder ribbed, stretch-knit dress in a deep green chevron, paired with irreverent heels from Loewe. Cecilia Basari, co-founder of Bali-based Isa Boulder, hopes to inspire a unique approach to styling its second-skin knitted dresses. “It’s always interesting to see different takes on the knit pieces and we always encourage personal style, as the wearer often comes up with crazier and cooler styling than we’d even imagine,” she says. “We want our wearers to embrace their curves, be it through the chunky knitwear fabrication or the more slinky and figure-hugging styles.”
Hopefully, Lee’s story will inspire you to try something new; but she is philosophically opposed to virtual copycats. She urges people who are looking to find themselves in their fashion choices to experiment with their style, saying: “I’ve always given myself permission to explore styles and figure out what I like. My individuality is one of my superpowers; I don’t want to look like everyone else. I make my own choices and I feel most inspired by designers who create from a space of freedom. I can appreciate classic looks, but I always give a twist; I won’t do predictable.” Not many people can claim unpredictability as a pillar of their style mantra – but, if you are looking for a new strategy for vacation dressing, embracing the thing that makes you different is a worthwhile place to start.
Sartorial freedom can mean trying a new swimsuit cut or a color you might otherwise have passed up for a safer option. If the prospect of showing skin is giving you pause, temper the daring with the demure. Clever, strategic layers – like sporting Skims under a sheer or semi-sheer dress – can provide some comfort and support while exploring a look that’s a little more risqué. Also consider Saint Laurent’s sheer, open-knit polo over an Alaïa bandeau top, with Zimmermann bikini briefs.
If Lee can be a testament to anything, it’s that flair and individuality should be celebrated as the key components of personal style. Lee advises: “It feels good to set your own trends. I hope I inspire women of all sizes to embrace their individuality in their style and wear what feels good. And to know what does, you have to experiment, but so many people get stopped by whatever societal limitation. I love the fact that the system is being demolished.” With women like Precious Lee at the forefront of shifting the status quo in fashion and beauty, we’re a little bit closer to demolishing these systems every day. Right now, a good place to start is by figuring out what makes you feel free and wearing it with pride.
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