Amy Lee
Principal Costume Designer for “Chinese New Year Splendor”
Forest Hills
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: For the last four years, Lee has served as a costume designer for the New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV) shows “Holiday Wonders” and, most recently, “Chinese New Year Splendor.” Part of her motivation in creating the costumes for the show has been helping educate others about Chinese culture, which she described as being very profound.
PERSONAL: Originally from China, Lee received a degree in fashion design and fine arts. She formerly was a professor at a design school in China where she taught history to Chinese costumers. Lee moved to Queens in 2002. She now resides in Forest Hills with her husband and 12-year-old daughter.
JOB: Lee has worked as a fashion designer for more than 20 years. She currently works in Manhattan creating lifestyle designs. Lee uses her knowledge to write articles for Chinese publications. She also writes poetry and has had paintings featured in various exhibitions.
PROUDEST MOMENT: Lee said that her proudest moment was seeing the opening of the first NTDTV show she did costume design for. When the curtains opened and the show began, she said she heard loud applause from the audience and saw people moved to tears by it. She said that she was also very touched and felt proud of the work she had done.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: In designing costumes for the shows, Lee said one of her biggest challenges was doing research about the different stories behind each dance. “I had to improve myself to better understand the dance spirit,” she said. Another challenge was creating costumes that were easy to put on and take off because of the necessity to do quick costume changes.
FAVORITE MEMORY: Lee’s favorite memories involve her family. They include having her daughter assist her with her work and having her whole family attend the show’s opening and seeing how proud they were of her.
INSPIRATION: “I always want to create beautiful things…that people enjoy,” Lee said. “I don’t want beautiful things to get lost.” She said that her entire life has been about painting and designing. She wants to do work that reflects high moral standards that will be a benefit to all of society.
