The pre-fall season could do with some rebranding. At Kate Spade—and elsewhere—the mood, and the clothes, are all about summer. Or more accurately, sun-chasing escapist dreams of summer. Nicola Glass and team channeled their memories of summers past into colorful clothes that reflected the bright optimism of the season. Kelly green separates, for example, were cut from a tweed woven with micro-sequins that provided unexpected sparkle. The use of crochet was carried over from the spring show and was best used for pull-on color-block dresses. A series of printed pieces had a 1940s flavor that was balanced by the very now textural raffia flatforms they were paired with.
“I personally love the texture of it, the crafted nature of it,” says Glass of raffia. She also sees the material relating to the house’s “deep heritage” of making wicker bags. There were two of these for the new season, a canister and a mini picnic basket, the latter a redesign of an archival piece. Both were decorated with cherry-shaped baubles. Other “healthy” options included charming fruit jewelry, like an orange-slice ring and fruit-shaped bags, such as a molded apple purse with a leaf-shaped zipper pull and its own friendly metal worm. Should an apple not keep the doctor at bay, there were also myriad versions of the brand’s Remedy purse (in the shape of a mini doctor’s bag).
Glass, it should be noted, is keeping the brand hale with happiness-inducing accessible fashions. You won’t find directional looks here; her focus is on designing pieces that appeal to—and fit—women of all shapes and sizes. But come to think of it, that’s needle-moving in its own way.
