I thought that I would share my story about how I came to love the kate spade new york brand...
My style has evolved so much over the last 25 years. I have gone through many stages in the process. It really helped that my mom could sew because in high school during the 80's in California, there was not much in the stores for me. I moved to CA from Texas as a Preppy polka-dot sophomore in high school. There was not a preppy to be found in a sea of "new wave" students at my private school. For school clothes, my mom gave me money and we went to the fabric store and bought fabric for skirts and then went to the mall for sweaters to go on top. I also had a Princess Diana book with photos and I would look at them to copy her outfits. I was wearing hats a lot during that phase...lol! Then I found Laura Ashley and Ralph Lauren. I stuck with Ralph throughout the years and still pick up some classic pieces today. The 90's for me were all about RL double breasted blazers and pleated skirts along with my own designs, usually made from floral curtain fabric. I looked like a sofa!
Beginning in 2000 I re-discovered polka dots, leopard and zebra fabric again for a couple of years. Then, I started wearing mostly black and white with some denim here and there just to fit in with the rest of the northern fashion scene. I loved Kate Spade for accessories but there was no apparel collection at the time.
Moving back to Texas 4 years ago really helped me get back into living colorfully. I had access to a Banana Republic shop, where there was a new Creative Director named Deborah Lloyd, who was coming up with these great colorful clothes! I couldn't stay away from the store and saved up my money and ordered an entire collection online in the spring. Then it was gone. I asked at Banana about what happened and they told me that they had lost their Creative Director to kate spade.
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| Banana Republic was the only store to have color like this orange jacket! |
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| BR dress- Look Familar? |
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| you can see Deborah's signature on these Banana Republic pieces from 2007! |
I remember seeing the first clothing pieces at my kate spade boutique! I stopped at the window and looked inside...I loved it! It had a certain charm that I had been missing. I have always enjoyed designing clothes for myself but, would much rather buy something already made ( I am a little lazy.) The kate spade clothing was exactly what I had been looking for! In the spring of 2008 I found the kate spade website and went nuts for the first complete apparel collection by Deborah Lloyd. The Esti skirts and Jillian dresses with classic coats and daisy jewelry had me hooked for life.
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| Jory dress from the earlier collection |
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| the inspiration for my striped Katie skirts! |
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| this top was one of the first apparel pieces I owned! |
That is when I became a kate spade-aholic. I can remember exactly where I was sitting in the breakfast room when I saw those pictures on the internet! It was like a moment in time, where the world stood still, while I gazed at the loveliness on the computer screen. The obsession has gotten worse and worse with each passing season and new collection. While I still design a few items for myself, I now wear kate spade almost entirely.
I wonder how long this obsession I have with kate spade new york will last. Is it just another phase in my style development or am I going to be a kate spade Grandma, passing on my Quinn collection on to my daughter and granddaughter? I will just have to wait and see. As for now, the coming fall collection is something I dream about at night and during the day too! Thank you to Deborah Lloyd and all the folks at kate spade new york for adding so much color and fun to my life! I hope we have many more years together.
What is your kate spade story? How long have you loved the brand and how do you handle the kate spade obsession on a daily basis? Please share!
xoxoxo,
Sandee
