CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
Model powerhouse Victoria Lee channels the punch of logo dressing.
Acommon complaint that rumbles among the Australian style set is that, true to the tall poppy syndrome, the most sartorially expressive get cut down. Without the intensity and volume of people that exist in cities like New York, where Australian model Victoria Lee is currently based, the more out-and-out trends are reserved for the adventurous minority. With the current swing back toward logos, a symptom of the unapologetic attitude pervasive in fashion’s current mood, 28-year-old Lee is out to change that.
“You have this freedom to really explore. You can dress in whatever way you want, because anything and everything is accepted,” says Lee, who is marking her seventh year in New York and is speaking over the phone from her Chelsea home. ”I see this woman, who I think is fantastic. She’s this older lady and she wears black tights and a bright red cardigan, one of these bowler caps … and she’ll wear something like that every day,” she says in appreciation. The city had that effect on Lee, spiriting her from her home in Narranderra, in country New South Wales, to modelling for quintessentially American brands Ralph Lauren and DKNY in New York City from the age of 18.
Her style underwent a quietly confident evolution with the geographical uproot, from setting out to buy as many colours of Converse as she could when she arrived – “orange, and purple and red ones …” – to a more mature but nevertheless intrepid pivot into statement accessories. “Now that I’m older, I love a statement shoe. I just bought a pair of these beautiful brocade Manolos with an amazing brooch on the front,” she says, coincidentally mentioning Blahnik’s Hangisi style synonymous with the city’s most famous fictitious style inhabitant, Carrie Bradshaw. “And these Gucci block heels with the gold logo on the front,” she continues. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve gained confidence.”
This though, is anchored by the practicalities necessitated by running to model go-sees and fittings with designers. Tailored pieces are layered over high-waisted Levi’s she rounds out with hold-all bags. “I’m a bag lady. I honestly carry a tote with my heels, my walking shoes and then I’ll have a smaller bag which has all my go-tos,” she says, laughing, as she describes her mix as functional but expressive.
An interest in fashion, for a model like Lee, is a happy side effect of the job. Her large green eyes and youthful abundance of blonde waves belie her age – 28 – giving her a round decade in the job, a veteran by fashion standards. She’s had time to observe, in front of the camera, trends that come and go on the rails of stylists, deciding when to delve into them at leisure – like logo dressing, a return to the outré branding of the 1990s, which she does subtly, one statement piece or accessory at a time.
“I always look [at trends],” she says of deciding when to buy into a style. “I always like them, or aspects of them, or maybe I’ll translate them in my own way.” Trying things on makes a huge difference. “I was wearing these amazing Gucci boots … they were incredible,” she says of a favourite from her Vogue shoot, which brought her to home soil recently, where she returns regularly for her current role as David Jones ambassador.
She’s walking the path trod by the likes of Mirandad Kerr, who, alongside a healthy cohort of Australian models, have laid claim to a continual presence on the Victoria’s Secret runways. Considered a career apogee by many, Lee joined the brand last year for the first time for its Shanghai spectacle, but is characteristically unruffled by the experience.
“It didn’t scare me, if you know what I mean; I felt ready,” she reflects. “My followers went through the roof and I was familiar with the show and how many people see it basically, so the fact that there are a lot of eyes on you didn’t surprise or shock me. It does make me think about my posts a lot more,” she concedes, citing a sense of humour she sometimes censors. “I’m quite aware that I’m supposed to be an influence. I see who I’m reaching and speaking to.”
Lee knows cultivating a digital presence is part of the remit of a Victoria’s Secret model and David Jones ambassador, but still keeps parts of her life off-limits. “I think there should be a bit of mystery to you,” she says. She keeps her personal life firmly in the balance by touching base with her grandma and mother daily, both of who fostered her love of creative expression – art to design – from a young age. “My nan’s house is honestly covered in artwork that I did through school,” she says. No doubt there are a few runway images littered throughout now, too.