It's a Wonderful Valise Event at Lee Lee's Valise!

Join us for our 1st annual It’s a Wonderful Valise Event!

Thursday, Dec 1st from 6:00pm-9:00pm

As you know, the name Lee Lee’s Valise originated from Lisa’s childhood. As a little girl she would spend her Christmas vacation in Long Island with her family. Before she would go Lisa would always pack her favorite clothes and toys in her grandfather’s battered valise.

Christmas was not Christmas without her valise full of toys!
Help us fill our valise with toys!

Come for champagne, Christmas treats, and be among the first to see our new  Holiday collection!

We will be accepting wrapped toys (marked boy or girl and age) for the less fortunate children of Brooklyn.
What better way to kick off the Holiday Season! See you there!

Tags: Christmas, Event, holiday, holiday collection, preview, suitcase, toydrive, toys, valise, zuzus petals
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Trick or Treat

Does a stay at the Bate’s Motel sound more fun than wearing a plus-size costume?

Does the thought of spending an entire evening in a polyester vinyl disaster giving you more nightmares than Elm Street? A store bought costume in plus-sizes almost never fits. It is hard enough to find plus-size clothing let alone a novelty item that you are only going to wear once. Why spend one to two hundred dollars on a costume when you already have the makings of a great costume in your closet. You can use some of your clothing as the canvas to build a costume with the addition of outrageous accessories and over the top makeup!

Here are some costume Ideas that not only fit your budget but your shape too.

Madmen – This is a great way to break out that cocktail dress you have been dying to wear! By adding accessories like a cigarette holder and going overboard with your updo and makeup you will have a hit!

Maniac – You can be a maniac with and over sized sweatshirt hanging off one shoulder, leg warmers, and a bucket of water!

70’s Funkadelic – You have that maxi dress from the summer! Add some peace jewelry, over-sized hoop earrings, a head band, or a great fro wig….and again…it’s all about the makeup. Paint some flowers on your face! Or just go crazy with the eyeliner!

School Girl – Get out your pleated skirt, attach a fake emblem to your blazer, a striped tie, knee highs, pigtails and carry an old school wooden ruler!

Greek Goddess – You put away your gladiators sandals so take them out again and add a maxi dress from the summer as well……a gold belt or pick up some gold curtain cord (minus the tassel) and save some for your Grecian updo.

20’s Gangster Girl – Pinstripe Pencil Skirt and a white blouse, Spanx fishnets, garter, suspenders, Fedora hat and you can pick up cheap tommy gun for effect. Oh, and the Mary Jane high heels you just bought for this season go perfect with this look.

Jungle Fever – Animal prints have been hot for a while now…you must own some. Add animal ears and tail or tease and mess your hair and go for a jungle princess look!

50’s Fabulous- Break out those Anna Lucias! Pair with a string of pearls and retro style wig for 50’s affect. Whether your June Cleaver or Lucy Ricardo You’ll be a hit!

When you are going to a party you will be with friends, or that cute guy you had your eye on lately. DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT wear any shape that you wouldn’t wear out. It’s all about your shape and showing it! Even though it’s Halloween you still want to flatter your figure.

Tags: anna lucia, costumes, halloween, ideas for costumes, plus size costumes, trick or treat
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Saks Fifth Ave

Did you see the article that >>>>Lucky Magazine wrote about the fact that Saks Fifth Avenue is closing Salon Z the plus size section of their flagship store? Lucky starts its report by saying “It appears Saks Fifth Avenue is trimming the fat from its Manhattan flagship store…and we don’t mean budget-wise.” Now what is that supposed to mean? That they had to get rid of the “fat” people? Why, is there something wrong with “Fat” people? That is really just another slap in the face to all of us from Lucky.

This snide and snarky comment is part and parcel of the way that fashion magazines and the fashion industry treats plus size. They make fun of it and put it down at every opportunity. Even when they are supposedly doing some straight reporting about a financial matter they have to take a shot, a dig…. it just can’t be straight up!

Why didn’t they take to time to investigate if there were other brick and mortar stores still available for the plus size consumer in NYC to go to find fashion forward clothing to try on in a store instead of buying blindly on-line? Why didn’t they ask some questions of plus sized designers who would want to display their wares in a store setting? Why is the closing of one of the few plus sized outlets just a joke to a fashion magazine?

The closing of Salon Z is an important matter for the plus size consumer. You would think that a fashion magazine would react professionally and treat this story with the respect that it deserves. If you have a chance you should make a comment on their website to let them know that we don’t think plus size is a joke. Here is the link to the article>>>Lucky

This feeble excuse for an article mentions that some other stores have “extended sizes” available. Most department stores only provide “extended sizing” which you know generally means ill fitting garments sized up from much smaller patterns. They never invested in true plus size designers who know the plus size customer and their particular needs.  Salon Z served as one of the few brick and mortar outlets where a plus sized woman could actually try on clothes in the store.

Lee Lee’s Valise remains steadfast in our commitment to serve the plus sized community. When we couldn’t find clothing that fit properly we went out and designed our own with our own private label. You can come to our brick and mortar store and actually see what you look like in the shapes and styles we have developed exclusively for the plus size woman. Then if you want to order on-line you at least have a pretty good idea of how that piece is going to look on you. We do things the old school way. Great fabrics, contemporary fashion forward styling and the perfect fit are available for you to try on in the store.

Salon Z has come and soon gone but we will remain to dress you for that special occasion. Or if you just want a new dress for work.  We are not going anywhere and we hope to see you soon.

Tags: fashion, lucky mag, plussize, saks, salon z, trim the fat
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The Janet Maxi at Lee Lee's Valise

It’s summertime and the living is easy ….in your new Janet Maxi-dress from Lee Lee’s Valise!

Just in time for your summer barbeques, vacations and outdoor cocktail parties the Janet Maxi-dress is our latest piece that is oh so comfortable while you are styling in a fashion forward look that you can take from day to night.
The Red Dot Janet Maxi Dress will be the dress you want to wear to all of your summer events. This Bohemian dress is effortlessly chic! It is the dress you will treasure and still be wearing five years from now as it will be a staple in your wardrobe. Effortlessly stylish and supremely comfortable you can just throw it on and go to work and still look great when you go out for cocktails later that night.

The Janet Maxi Dress in Pucci Paisley is a fun and festive print that we fell in love with the minute we saw it. It just screams summer and will be your go to dress for any event you have this summer. Perfect for summer weddings or parties at the Hampton’s this print will transition from day to night with the greatest of ease. You will not believe how comfortable this dress will feel on a hot summer night.

The Janet Maxi Dress in Teal Metallic will be your choice for a slightly more “dressy” look.  This butter soft South American Textured fabric has a unique look that is different from anything you might have in your closet. This is the dress that you will choose when you don’t want to sacrifice comfort to get a stylish and chic look for the summer.
All three of our Janet Maxi-dresses share certain characteristics that make them the perfect maxi. They have bra friendly straps with soft ruching on the shoulder along with a elastic band under the bust for extra support. The front bodice and back are both fully lined. The V-neckline is matched to a fluid skirt with gathers in front and back. It is approximately 56” hem to give you the length that gives the maxi dress its name.

Made in the USA these machine washable maxi’s will soon become your first choice for a stylish and comfortable dress for everything you have to do this summer. And as is usually the case supplies are limited so make sure you get your new favorite dress!

Tags: janet, made in usa, maxi dress, Maxi dresses, summertime dresses
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Spring is the time for the return of perennial favorites be it your favorite spring flowers or your favorite spring dresses. We are continuing that tradition with the arrival of our New Melissa Dresses in Our Gold Metallic, Military Leopard,  Black and White Swirl and the favorite Pink Paintbrush!

The New Melissa in Black and White Swirl

The New Melissa Dress in Black and White Swirl is a great choice when you need something dressy with a sleeve! This Black and White Swirly Print is right on trend for this season and we made this one a bit longer for those of you who had request that look. We added gathers in the front and back so that they fall flat for a flattering fit. This will give you great coverage without adding too much fabric to your silhouette. The longer sleeve can be worn long or up higher on your arm giving a blousy look. This is the perfect dress to accentuate with jewelry to dress up for a spring wedding or event or you can dress it down to wear to work. It is a versatile addition to your wardrobe for the season.

Our New Melissa in Military Leopard

The New Melissa in the new Military Leopard Print will become one of your new favorites. This mixture of browns, greens, gray and white combine the best features of the “military look” with a “faux leopard” style that highlights two of the most on trend looks of the year. This striking amalgam is an amazing combination that will be perfect for any spring event and is the perfect dress to take from day to night by just modifying your accessories. It is a subtle yet striking comment on the best of what the runways had to offer this season.

Finally, Our New Melissa in Pink Paintbrush is an abstract floral with a paintbrush effect giving it the edge it needs for a contemporary look! You can easily dress this up for any event!

Our New Melissa in Pink Paintbrush

These great options are available along with our basic black Melissa to provide you with some excellent alternatives for your upcoming events. Any one of them would serve you well as you plan what you want to wear this spring.

Posted in News-Events | Last updated May 10th, 2011.  |No Comments »

Lee Lee’s Valise will be featured on TLC’s What Not to Wear this Tuesday April 5^th at 9pm EST. Carly from New Jersey had a great time in the shop as she picked several of our favorite pieces to change over her wardrobe.

We loved working with Carly because her family was originally from the neighborhood so it was like she was coming home to shop. She loved the Lisa Wrap Dress and purchased it in the Red Paisley, Black Textured and more as well as four Marisa Tops including the Aztec Purple and in The Marisa in Red.  All of which are available on-line and in store if you want to get some of the same great pieces that she fell in love with on camera.

Our Christine Dress in Gold Metallic

Also, we have brought in some new dresses that have become favorites with many of you who have come to the shop. Our new Christine Zipper Dress in the Abstract Leopard Print and Our new Christine Zipper Dress in Gold Metallic – “designer-like” horizontal print with shades of grayish brown, blues and metallic gold accents are two great new dresses that will be just what you want for the spring.

Our Rosemarie Ruffle Dress

The new Rosemarie Ruffle dress has also become crowd pleaser as it is available in Our Perfect Black, the new West Side Story print and the Navy Black Squares.  Perfect for the spring when paired with a strappy sandal and one of new hot spring bags to accessorize your look for the new season.

Stephanie Sweetheart Dress

Finally we are very proud of our brand new Stephanie Sweetheart Dress in our newest designer-like striped fabric and also in a Vintage Floral. This new body flatters your curves with an amazing pattern that looks just as good when you are walking away as when you are walking forward. You have to see it to believe it.

Tags: Carly, Clinton Kelly, lee lee's valise, lisa wrap dress, makeover, marisa, Plus Size, stacy london, TLC, What Not To Wear, wntw
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