Leisel “Q” Quamie


Wardrobe Stylist • Costume Designer • Personal Shopper • www.leiselquamie.com






How did you get started in your career?

I went back to school and changed careers, and I had to intern. You just can’t start out being a stylist and working for celebrities without any credibility. So I interned and in the meantime built my portfolio with test shoots and a lot of constant networking. Then I got a break when I was assisting Nole Marin for about a year. We worked on editorial and menswear so that exposed me to other areas, and then we started working on America’s Next Top Model . That really helped give me my break and helped to catapult my career. I’ve been doing this for 10 years and it’s good. Now I own my own costume & vintage shop in Pasadena called StarMakers. We rent and sell costumes to everyone, as well as, we have over 2000sq feet of birthday and theme party rental space for adults and kids! It’s been a blessing. My career has constantly evolved and I love it.


Philosophy About Style for the Professional Women of Color

It’s important to be comfortable. My approach is not to take someone out of their comfort zone. Start in small doses. If you wear black all day, then I wouldn’t dress you in color from head to toe the next day. We would start with accessories and add color that way. When creating a style, think about where do you work? What are your after work and weekend activities and events? How do you want to present yourself? What’s the image you want to say to the world everyday? This is one of the things I share at my nonprofit with teenage girls called Beauty & Love. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just first start with what does that image look like and explore how to get there. Then there are the small steps to take to improve that – the colors that look great on you, the silhouette that looks great on you, is this the style that reflects where you work and what you’re passionate about.


Fashion Faux-Pas

The biggest problem I see is ill-fitting clothes. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive to look great, sometimes you need to get your clothes altered. Another fashion faux-pas would be not wearing age appropriate clothes – i.e. the skirt is too short. Doesn’t mean you can’t wear short skirts but it has to be the right material and be the best fit for you. Not every style is for everyone. Sometimes people look too trendy and try to get into every style out there. At the end of the day, your own personal style comes from what looks best on you. If an a-line skirt works on you, you can wear that for 10 years and you can just update the color.


Key Basics for the Closet

If you have 4 good outfits for 2 years, update your accessories to have a new look. Items needed:


1. A really good professional suit in black, navy or grey
2. A great dress, like the standard little black dress
3. Basic black flat, black pump. Make sure that they are polished and the heels are not beat-up
4. Update accessories like scarves, necklaces including costume jewelry, a hat, belt. This is where women can be more trendy.
5. A good handbag is equivalent to a man having a good watch
6. When you have extra cash you can add another handbag, a good sweater, cape or shawl

When going shopping for clothing, go looking good because if you look slouchy and you don’t find something that day you’ll end up being depressed. Being dressed when your shopping really lifts your spirits and adds to your self confidence.


How to Develop Your Personal Style

What’s the look you’re trying to achieve? Start by looking through moderate fashion magazines like Lucky as opposed to high fashion magazines like Vogue. For the woman who is not a fashionista you may relate better to Lucky than you would Vogue. Start with simple colors. It’s okay to have that one skirt and a top or blouse in 3 different colors, and then you add a jacket or accessories. At the end of the day be true to yourself. It takes time to establish your style.