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Bridget Mavhimira Fashion Correspondent
How does one get to look fashionable?
Let us look at some of the most stylish people in Harare from Mai Titi, Mudiwa Hood, Jah Prayzah, Tammy Moyo to Natalie Mhandu among others.
These people, however, do not just go straight to a shopping mall and pick any clothes at random, but they go through professionals who are known as stylists so that they can be assisted on what to wear, how and when.
One of these fashion stylists who has proven that it really pays off to look good by hosting the first ever Style Icon Zimbabwe Awards is Lee Madyara, popularly known as Hollywood Lee.
She is the owner of Style Consultancy by Hollywood Lee and believes that looking good and being appropriately dressed enhances the beauty of people and brings alive their personalities.
“Every human is a brand and how one carries themselves around is how people will address them,” she said.
From styling models and celebrities, Madyara’s consultancy also focuses on the corporate look because she believes that how one dresses is how they are addressed, so if one is a lawyer, manager, accountant, doctor, among other professionals, one must dress like it because people need to trust you.
“I know people say we must not judge the book by its cover, but in real life people do that everyday. I style top lawyers, managers, CEOs and politicians and they always testify that people take them seriously when they are dressed properly and some have even rubbed shoulders with prominent people just by their way of dressing.
“One cannot expect to be taken seriously when they are dressed in a funny manner. I am not saying spend fortunes on your wardrobe,but just buy something that matches who you are even who you want to be because what you feel is sometimes projected in how you look,” she said.
Madyara has always had a passion for styling and fashion such that she would end up helping strangers do their shopping for free before she ventured into the industry.
She did go to a school for styling as it came naturally for her.
“People in Harare are very creative in terms of how they style themselves, but I think that we lack education on the actual fashion industry like fabrics, styles, trends as we mostly just go with what we see online or on local celebrities without picking on what the global village is doing. Being a stylist, I can share the knowledge I have about fashion,” said Lee.
One could say that being stylish and fashionable has always been in Madyara’s blood because even though her grandmother was a hous wife, she invested her time in dressing up.
“Back in the day we did not have phones to take pictures, so my grandmother would dress up and look good then call a photographer to take her pictures at her house,” said Lee.
This was inherited by Lee’s aunt who was so much into fashion. She worked for Truworths for a long time and now it is Madyara’s turn.
The love and passion for being fashionable lies in her genes.
In Zimbabwe styling is not really a big thing so as a stylist she starts from educating her clients on what she does and the process one has to go through for them to have a complete look or a long-term makeover, it is not a one day job.
Hollywood Lee does not own a retail shop because she believes that a stylist is not necessarily supposed to have clothes, hence she has an office for consulting.
“A stylist isn’t necessarily supposed to have clothes with them as they are supposed to look for where one can get the outfit and then style it. This also create employment for retail stores,” she said.
Naturally a lot of women are into fashion, however, one would be shocked to find out that Hollywood Lee was once a tomboy when she was still in high school.
“I was a tomboy for so long when I was in high school and I somehow regret it because if I had used that time to learn more about fashion instead of trying to be boy, I would have started my journey earlier.
“My advice to ladies and young women out there is we are flowers and we are meant to bloom, God is the greatest designer of all time, so you should decorate yourself.
‘‘Do not be shy to wear jewellery, outstanding eye-wear, wear those bright colours and standout because when you walk into a room they should know that a rose has walked in,” she said.
Lee’s clients are mostly female, however men have started to embrace fashion and have begun to be conscious of how they look even though they still needs education on self-presentation.
She believes that each and every day is an opportunity to learn about style, colour pallets, designing, fabric and garments.
Online Reporter