AFP |
Kate Spade put the sparkle into New York Fashion Week on Friday, paying tribute in a riot of color to the handbag brand’s founder, three months after her tragic death. It was the label’s first runway show at the bi-annual style fest, having previously opted for Instagram-able presentations, held this time in the lofty surrounds of the iconic New York Public Library.
The new creative director, Northern Ireland-born Nicola Glass, was already working on her debut collection when 55-year-old Spade, who founded the company with her husband, committed suicide in June. Silver glitter ran down the center of the pale pink-carpeted runway, a nod to the woman whose brand has been synonymous with a joyful outlook on life since its founding in 1993.
If color is warming the hearts of troubled times in Donald Trump’s America this fashion week, Rihanna favorite Matthew Adams Dolan went vibrant if utilitarian and unisex to a soundtrack of thumping techno.
“She left a little sparkle everywhere she went,” said a pink note left on the seat of every guest. “In loving memory 1962-2018.” “Even though she hasn’t been here for over 10 years, her spirit’s definitely still here at the company,” Glass, a former Gucci handbag and jewelry designer who previously worked at Michael Kors, told AFP.
The collection was rooted in the brand’s DNA: color, fun, joyfulness for spirited women, sophisticated and feminine, yet wearable from day to evening. Kate Spade’s spring/summer 2019 is one of pale lilac, hot pink, dark green, chartreuse, florals and print, with block-heeled sandals and knee-high boots, and liberal use of the spade symbol.
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“It feels more modern, less retro, there’s more polished ease to it and prints, they’ve been evolved in a way where they’re a little bit more graphic with unexpected details,” Glass told AFP. Pale white balloon-style lights were suspended from the ceiling and an unusually diverse stream of models, although each very slim, strode the runway before taking their places on silver diases.
Besides the silk dresses, cropped pants, checked suiting and buttoned mini-skirts, they sported purses, sunglasses and silk headscarves knotted at the nape of the neck. “She’s a woman who, I think, is in love with life and has a sense of purpose,” said Glass. “It’s more of a mindset than a demographic.”
Silver glitter ran down the center of the pale pink-carpeted runway, a nod to the woman whose brand has been synonymous with a joyful outlook on life since its founding in 1993.
Coach (now Tapestry) bought the label in 2017 in a deal worth $2.4 billion. Spade ceded a majority stake in 1999 and sold her last shares in the mid-2000s for another $59 million. Glass never met Spade in person, but hailed her as a role model woman, entrepreneur and designer.
“I think she really encouraged women to have fun with fashion, and that it wasn’t intimidating, that they could express themselves,” Glass said. Spade committed suicide in her Park Avenue apartment on June 5, after battling with depression and anxiety for years despite a dazzling career that made her the darling of American career women.
“There was a moment when you couldn’t walk a block in New York without seeing one of her bags, which were just like her: colorful and unpretentious,” Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has said.
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Tory Burch Cruises
The American founder of the global lifestyle brand Tory Burch evoked similar cheer, unveiling a collection, imbued with the memory of her wealthy parents and their Mediterranean cruises.
The clothes were inspired by their steamer-hopping trips from Italy to Greece, and from Spain to Morocco, full of contrast from Cyprus lace to North African djellabas and flamenco flounces.
There was also a Burch version of the safari suit, evoking the spirit of French master couturier Yves Saint Laurent, who famously reimagined this most practical of desert attire.
Coach (now Tapestry) bought the label in 2017 in a deal worth $2.4 billion. Spade ceded a majority stake in 1999 and sold her last shares in the mid-2000s for another $59 million.
MAD for Denim
If color is warming the hearts of troubled times in Donald Trump’s America this fashion week, Rihanna favorite Matthew Adams Dolan went vibrant if utilitarian and unisex to a soundtrack of thumping techno.
His clothes were oversized, with giant pockets in fluorescent yellow, blue, fuscia, green and his trademark denim, which brought him to Rihanna’s attention and through whom he found fame.
In a rare nod to femininity, denim dresses were short and ruffled, but wide-cut pants were strictly XXXL on the slender models.
© Agence France-Presse