Mandy Lee

To know her is to love her; Mandy Lee is one of NYC's most adored fashion content creators and analysts. She's also has great tattoos.

Photographed by Mico Corvino

Styled by Emma Nusbaum

Glam by Gianna Guerino

Production assist by Darya Ameri

Azra: What is your name?

Mandy: My name is Mandy Lee.

Where are you from?

So I'm from Rhode Island, about an hour and 15 minutes away from Boston, so I usually just say RI.

What is your sign?

I am a true Aries. I feel it in my soul. I'm an Aries through and through.

Where are we right now?

We are in beautiful LIC in Queens, New York.

How are you feeling?

I've been shooting for a few hours already, so I feel very good. This is not in my comfort zone at all. I'm usually behind the scenes, but I'm feeling very confident. I mean, I'm wearing fucking Pleasers right now.

How many tattoos do you have?

So, I actually don't keep track. I don't have a running count. I think it's pretty arbitrary, um, because like, you know, a stick and poke here, a big ass piece right here. Like I don't really even know. If I do guess probably somewhere around 50 ish, but again, it's just not something I keep track of.

Which tattoo is your favorite?

I feel like the most recent tattoo I get always becomes my favorite. But the one that has been my favorite for the longest is this piece on my thigh. When I was 19, I think, it was the first larger piece I ever got. It's a riff on Crocodile Rock, an Elton John song that my mom and I used to sing when I was a kid. I used to request it in the car, and it just reminds me of her. And it's a really cool interpretation of Crocodile Rock.

Do you regret any of your tattoos

I don't know if like regret is the right word. I definitely wish a few of them were done with A little more thought like the two that I can think of that I I wish I didn't get is my very first tattoo Don't get a trendy tattoo people because you will regret it It's probably the trendiest tattoo I have.

I got it on my 18th birthday. Um, and it's probably the tattoo I regret the most. Um, and then the other one is something I got off a flash sheet when I was drunk. So, those are two great lessons. Don't get a trendy tattoo and don't get tattooed when you're wasted. Alright.

What do your tattoos say about you?

I feel like, I don't know if they say anything about me other than I’m a person that likes tattoos. What I think they symbolize for me is just another way of expression and personal style. So that's kind of what I would like my tattoos to convey, but I'm also, I'm not really sure. I feel like I'm not the right person to ask.

Is your personal style affected or influenced by your tattoos?

I certainly started developing my tattoo personal style before my fashion style. I have wanted to get tattooed since I was like 13. My personal style developed later over time.

I knew I wanted tattoos before I was even into fashion. And the tattoo style I've stuck with has been the tattoo style I've wanted since I was much, much younger. So I would actually say maybe my tattoos influence my style a little more than my style influences my tattoos.

What do you look for when choosing an artist?

An artist that does crispy, bold lines. I don't want any fine lines. I don't want anything that's going to fall out. I am willing to feel the pain when I'm getting tattooed, knowing that it's not going to fall out later. I like nice, bold, solid lines. Solid shading.

How do you decide on what to get?

I feel like I just have ideas floating in my head for years and then it's just like, okay, make the appointment, go sit there, feel the pain.

I'm such a huge baby and it just gets worse as I get older. Like, the pain has just doubled since I turned 30. So it's more about the chore of actually going and making the appointment rather than deciding what to get. And at this point, as long as the tattoo subject is in the style I like and it's executed in the way that fits the rest of my tattoos, I could honestly care less about the subject. It's just become less and less important to me as time has gone on.

Who do you want to get tattooed by?

I think the only person that I've ever like made a mental note of, Oh my God, I need to get tattooed by this person is Mike Adams. I think he's out of Maryland, so it's not even that far away, somewhere on the east coast. But I've been following his work probably since like 2013. Um, I think he was the first tattoo account on Instagram I ever followed. He does these like shadow puppet, uh, tattoos or that's what he was known for when I started following him and I've never stopped wanting one of his signature designs. So definitely Mike Adams.

What's your pre tattoo ritual?

Um, curling up in the fetal position and wondering what the fuck I'm doing!

Honestly, just drink a lot of water, eat a bagel. I try to make an early morning appointment so I'm done by the end of the day and I can wash and clean it up by the end of the day. I usually book day sessions, um, at this point because I just want to bang it out, right? So I try to get in early if I can. I think that's a really good tip.

Do you listen to music while getting tattooed? If yes, what do you listen to?

So, I actually don't. I do the crossword… I try to wait and build them up because I'll do like five, six crosswords during a session.

And then the other thing I do is play like Nintendo Switch. I can't really listen to music, it does not distract me enough.

What is your next tattoo?

I want to get my entire back tattooed. Um, I've been planning the design for a long time. I do need to find an artist that I'm comfortable with that size and subject matter because the references that I pulled are much smaller. I've never seen the back tattoo, like a full back tattoo piece in the subject. That I need to get, so it's been a little difficult shopping for artists who are comfortable doing something so huge and such like a kind of novelty subject matter. But I'm confident in the next year I will be able to find it, but that's what I've been planning for, like, probably two or three years at this point. It's just a big commitment, uh, space wise, giving up that much skin, and money wise. But, that's next.

What is your next project?

I hate to be annoying. and be like, oh, I can't, I can't tell you. Um, so I'll just say… book.

Any closing statements?

I mean, I think when it comes to tattoos, take your time. I feel like people just want to rush in right away.

The second they decide they want to get tattooed they try to do it all at once, or they get shoddy work or, you know, they get like little tiny pieces and they're frustrated why they don't look tattooed when they have a lot of work. Take your time. It's not a race. And you'll love your tattoos more. I feel like when you get them collected throughout the years, find a style that you really like, or if you're okay with having multiple styles, make those decisions before you commit to being heavily tattooed, I would say.

And I'm nowhere close to being heavily tattooed. I've been getting tattooed for 14 years. It's just, it just takes time. And I'm here for the ride.