Kate Spade New York has been reinvigorated. The dresses are more grown up. The accessories feel more elevated. Nicola Glass, who took over as creative director last season—replacing chief creative officer Deborah Lloyd, who left the brand in 2017—has added a layer of polish all around. Take the frocks: The whimsical playfulness that the label is known for is still there, but now it’s less overt. A key style was the floral-print number with ruching down the front that hugged the body ever so slightly.
The accessories felt similarly fresh. Glass has had a lot of experience in this area. She worked under Tom Ford during his early years at Gucci, and then as senior vice president of accessories design at Michael Kors for more than a decade. The shapes were clean and structured, as in the Betty, a rounded tote based on an archive piece, with a smart round metal handle. Another standout was a butterscotch hobo bag with a rich brown leather edge.
