Changes Ahead: Kate Spade in New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2018

Models at Kate Spade Fall/Winter 2018

Fashion has been labeled as many things; an art form, a means of self-expression, a world of glamour, fame, fabulousness, and fun. Ultimately, it still operates as a business. And when news of the Coach acquisition of Kate Spade hit fashion news, curiosity came soon after — how might the brand change? Coach, which has seen a fantastic maneuver into a new vibe and target market, understands the formula of switching product and marketing direction in a comprehensive campaign. It was no coincidence that the appearance of Chloe Moretz in print ads, or the presence of Selena Gomez in connection to the Coach brand happened just as the bags got a little chunkier, clunkier, and hipper, while the shoes a little more millennial.

Is Kate Spade the next to follow?

As of the recently wrapped New York Fashion Week season, the figurative fabric that holds the Kate Spade New York brand together was still very much intact. But word has it that this may be the tail-end of the works of Creative Director Deborah Lloyd for the brand; so while her signature wearable street-femininity still prevails, we celebrate the vibe with celebrities Isla Fisher, Jamie Chung, Lucy Hale, Natalia Dyer, Tessa Holiday, and Rachel Bloom.

Celebrities And Influencers In Kate Spade NYFW

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The Vibe: Country Girl Wanders Into the Big City

Little delicate girl from the prairie, surrounded by the wonders of nature at dusk, in love with lace, ruffles, and patchwork prints, takes her soft silhouettes and finds herself transported to the high-octane world of New York City. Surrounded by fast-paced life and bright lights, she turns her tones to darker and deeper dinnertime sky colors, finding a new penchant for men’s clothing, and a little bit of city pizzazz. She finds her true comfort in the combination of both her extremes.

I’d love for Manila to adopt a little bit of this fluidity and fusion. We are, after all, often caught in the ‘in-betweens’ of province and city ourselves.