Kate Spade’s spring 2019 New York Fashion Week show was somber, yet rejoiceful — a mood that celebrities and socialites alike are not necessarily used to in their roundup of A-list shows. A feeling of intense curiosity and peace hung in the air as the crowd sat in a room bathed in rose-colored light at the New York Public Library, waiting for the show to being. Nobody knew what to expect of the first collection that followed the tragic death of the company’s inspiration and brand founder, Kate Spade.
The New York Public Library was filled with bright colors last Friday as models strutted through the crowd in lively pinks, greens and blues. The runway itself was a pink carpet with a winding thread of silver glitter through the center. The shimmering line was mean to honor the late designer, Kate Spade. Spade struggled with anxiety and depression for years before taking her own life in June. When guests arrived to their seats, they were greeted by a little card that read “She left a little sparkle everywhere she went. In loving memory 1962-2018.”
In a unanimous consensus, guests of the show absolutely loved the tribute. It was a magical way to pay respect to Kate Spade. Priyanka Chopra even commented that it felt like fairy dust.
Celebrities such as Suki Waterhouse, Elizabeth Olsen and Kate Bosworth attested to the show’s success and the celebration of life the show portrayed. “This is such a happy brand and she has breathed such beautiful life into the brand while respecting the heritage of it,” Bosworth said. “It’s fun, it’s happy, it’s playful, it’s whimsical, and yet also it’s high-end and thoughtful.”
Spade stepped down from her spot at the helm of Kate Spade in 2007, when she sold the brand to Coach, who brought in Nicola Glass to be the next creative director. Glass’s goal for this show was to pay homage to the sunny disposition Kate Spade had at the brand’s inception. “So the inspiration really started by going back to looking at the core DNA of the brand” Glass said. “To me there was a purity of their design approach, the use of color but also there was always this kind of fun and fun joyfulness, very optimistic…I was trying to get the essence of that and interpret it in a new way.”
