The Essential List 12. Joyce Lee’s Summer Favorites

The NYC-based design and creative consultant shares beautiful woven sandals, her go-to summer set, easy summer skincare, and brands she admires.

Today, I’m excited to feature Joyce Lee, an NYC-based design and creative consultant. You may know Joyce as the recent head of design for Madewell (she just stepped down last fall after 8 years in the role). I’ve admired Madewell over the years and when Joyce recently launched her newsletter,

TIME LESS

, I became an instant fan of her personal style. I resonate deeply with her philosophy of keeping things simple, investing in good pieces, and updating a look with accessories and great outerwear.

First, Joyce shares her favorite summer essentials. Then I share our conversation about how her passion for jelly sandals as a child led to a career in design, her path to head of design at Madewell, and the brands and designers that she admires today.

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Shirt and boxers by Chava Studio I live in these and have these sets in 3 colorways—I wear them as sets, and also as separates, and they are so versatile. I love to style them casually with flip flops, or dress them up with a loafer or a ballet flat.

ILIA Skin Rewind Blurring Foundation and Concealer Complexion Stick

Ilia Complexion Stick This complexion stick has been by my side since I first tried it. It blends in easily and comes in so many shades which is useful as I’ve gotten more sun with summer activities and travel. It feels like skincare more than makeup, and I don’t feel like I’m wearing makeup when I apply it.

Marea New York Cruzado Sandals I adore these woven sandals, they are made in Peru by women artisans. The other colorways are beautiful too, they bring in an unexpected texture and graphic element to any look.

Lightsaver Activated Mineral Sunscreen

Lightsaver Sunscreen This sunscreen is amazing—I haven’t felt this way about a face sunscreen ever. It’s lightweight in the best way, it is so moisturizing, not greasy at all, and works so well under makeup too. I use the non-tinted version for my kids, too.

Celine Round-frame Acetate Sunglasses

Celine Sunglasses I have these in two colorways, and love this classic frame so much. They feel special but timeless at the same time, and that’s definitely something I look for when I shop for something to add to my wardrobe.

(L to R) Bags customized by Joyce, LL Bean Boat and Tote

LL Bean Boat and Tote I am a bag lady through and through, and over the years have collected so many LL Bean totes of various sizes and colorways. I also love to customize them for friends with stenciled letters—such a fun way to make it more personal. My kids have small totes, and I use the XL size for beach trips or as a weekender bag.

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Throughout her 20-year career, Joyce has designed footwear and handbags for brands like Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Gryson, and Madewell, and was most recently head of design for Madewell. I was thrilled to connect and talk about her background, style, and influences.

Tell me about your background and what you’re doing today.

I was really always obsessed with accessories starting when I was a child. It's so funny because I'm wearing jelly shoes right now, but I remember specifically being guided by the desire for glittery, delicious things when I was about six years old. My mom honestly wasn't exactly supportive of some of the things that I really loved, like jelly shoes. So I just remember feeling determined to fight to make these show up in my life. I even tried to make a pair for myself when I was six years old, using scotch tape and plastic six-pack rings. That feeling of passion for design never left me—I knew I wanted to design bags, shoes, and accessories.

I started at FIT, designing footwear and accessories, including handbags. My first internship involved assisting at Marc Jacobs in the world of shoe design. I got to travel to Italy to design shoes at the shoe factory and I learned so much during those two years. After that, I worked for Michael Kors, designing footwear as well. Eventually, I ended up working with an old mentor at Marc Jacobs, who had started her own company called Gryson. It was really fun because I got to join her and her husband in starting up their brand, and we did a lot of consulting for other brands at the time as well. It was exciting because I got to learn about different businesses and types of brands, in terms of price points and aesthetics.

At that point, I was really excited about how Madewell had come to market. I had a brief consulting job with Madewell when they initially started to design products, before they launched. It was really exciting to see the actual store open a few years later. Coincidentally, the same day I walked into the Madewell store, thinking, "Wow, this looks great and I'd be really interested to work with them again," a recruiter called me. I joined them— that was 15 years ago —and I stayed with Madewell for 15 years. I started by designing their accessories, and I loved that team and department.

About six years into leading the accessories design team, I had the opportunity to step up as the brand’s head of design. It's been an adventure, and I recently left Madewell in the fall. Now, I'm really excited to get back to my design roots in accessories, which is what I'm focusing on right now.

Do you have any concrete plans or are you in the exploratory phase?

I'm enjoying this time to explore, mainly working on project-based work right now and enjoying working with brands on evolving creatively, and also write a Substack newsletter called Time Less. I'm appreciating the flexibility of consulting projects and really love that it allows me to constantly meet new people.

Source: TIME LESS

How does being a designer influence your personal style? I imagine you look at products very differently than a normal consumer.

For sure. Quality has always been something I've paid a lot of attention to, even since I was young. It's a huge driver of what I choose to purchase; I always want to make sure that the materials are great and high quality. As a designer, I'm definitely more attuned to the details and the construction of pieces, whether it's a garment, a leather good, or a shoe. This attention to detail plays into how the items are worn and their longevity.

When I make purchases, I consider if the item is comfortable, functional, and works well within my lifestyle. For example, I think about how I will clean the item. I don't have much in my wardrobe that requires dry cleaning because I'm a casual and practical person by nature. I love really nice things, but they also need to be functional and work well for me.

You spent a lot of your career focused on accessories. What do you look for in an accessory today, or what makes a great accessory to you?

For accessories, I really look at the raw materials. I've always focused on natural leathers, especially those that wear well over time, whether in a handbag or a shoe. I also love interesting design details. I prefer items that are somewhat timeless and don't feel too trendy. However, I also like them to feel current and of the moment, so it's about finding that balance in the things I buy.

Marea New York

Are there any smaller brands that you love and think more people should know about?

One of the brands I love is Marea New York. It's one of the shoe brands I have on my list. Marea, who started the brand, now lives in Lisbon, Portugal with her family; they moved there during the pandemic. She began her brand in New York, focusing on beautiful handwoven shoes made in Peru by artisan women. I love her brand because it features really fun and emotional designs with vibrant colors and textures, yet the pieces also feel classic and timeless.

I also love Sandor for their hair care line. The founder, Sabrina Szinay created a natural hair ritual and I’m obsessed with The Grounding Shampoo and the hair Gua Sha.

Chava is my friend Olivia Villanti’s line of the most beautiful shirts and tailoring, an atelier based in Mexico City. I live in her shirts and boxer shorts year round.

Matteau

You’ve mentioned Marc Jacobs as a significant influence. Who are some of your favorite brands and designers you look up to or love today?

Good question. I do really admire The Row as I've always admired them for their use of amazing materials and timeless styles. They often repeat their designs, so when you buy something from them, it's an investment piece that you'll have for years. Their items are not throwaway or frivolous. I admire them for those principles.

Brands like Totême are doing a good job of translating that timeless quality in a more accessible way. I also love the brand Matteau and a lot of Australian brands like St. Agni, Lee Mathews, and A.EMERY for footwear, especially sandals.

There are so many brands I like for specific items, so it really depends on the product. But those are some of the main ones I admire today.

Sandals by A.EMERY

In your role as head designer, did you have anything to do with pricing at Madewell? Do you understand how things get marked up? I'm asking because I'm curious if you think The Row’s prices make sense, or if they set them so high just to position themselves as an ultra-luxury brand.

I think it's probably both. I know their materials are insanely beautiful and that the mills and tanneries they purchase from are incredibly luxurious, so it doesn't surprise me. However, looking at prices across the board, especially in other luxury labels, prices have increased significantly over the last couple of years. The cost of raw materials and labor has gone up, so while it may seem crazy, I get why it happens.

I don't think they're just making up prices, but some luxury brands can charge that much because they spend so much on marketing their image and the luxury aspects. People want to buy into that lifestyle or brand.

Where are you discovering new things or shopping these days—online, in-person, through friends, social media?

All of those things. For instance, today I'm walking around the Upper East Side. I had a breakfast meeting this morning up here, so I thought, "This is great. I get to wander down Madison Avenue and look at these stores," which I don't typically shop from in person.

A lot of my shopping is done online, browsing actual websites. Of course, there's the social media aspect as well. There are so many great shopping newsletters now, and I also talk to my friends, most of whom are in the industry. It's always fun to hear what people are talking about, buying, or wearing. So it's a mix of all of these sources.

Source: TIME LESS

What is the last thing you bought that you feel really good about and how did you find out about it?

So, I just told you that I don't usually shop up here and that I don't own much from The Row, but I literally just went into their store right before this interview and bought myself a pair of sunglasses. I'm obsessed. I'm so happy with them—they're on the top of my head right now, fresh out of the store.

I've had the same frames for years that I love, but sometimes you just need something new. It's summer, and we're going on a couple of vacations. One is to Barcelona and the other is a Disney cruise. It's quite the opposite vibe, but my mom is taking my brother's family and us, so it'll be a whole cousins-and-grandchildren outing on a cruise ship. I’m going to treat it as a floating hotel, and I know the kids are going to have so much fun.

So, I bought myself these sunglasses and it feels great to have something new for me. It's summer, and as an accessory lover, I invest a lot in items like this. My apparel is pretty simple—I'm a uniform-type dresser with go-to pieces like my favorite shirts, pants, and layering items. But I love to change up my look with accessories like shoes, bags, sunglasses, or jewelry. Those are the things I always look to for refreshing my style.

Thank you, Joyce! This was such a fun chat and I can’t wait to see what you do next. Meanwhile, I’m off to buy some stencils and 20 LL Bean totes!

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TIME LESS

and follow on Instagram for more from Joyce.

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Let us know if you have any questions for Joyce in the comments and if you have your own summer essentials, I’d love to hear! Share in a comment below or hit reply to send me a note.

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