When I was little I told my mother that I was thinking about dressing up like a "50's" girl for Halloween. She looked at me in astonishment and asked what a girl in the 50's could have possibly worn that made it costume worthy. I enthusiastically detailed my plan to wear a poodle skirt, sweater, saddle shoes, etc. My mother raised one eyebrow and said that she didn't recall anyone in the 50's wearing the outfit as I described it.
| 50's Costume |
I get the same feeling when I keep seeing things described as '80s inspired. My sartorial recollection of the '80's includes all of the pillars of the Preppy Handbook.
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| A bag for every season! |
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| Laura Ashley Corduroy |
But, I am not sure if I remember the inspiration for this:
I just viewed the Kate Spade New York RTW Fall 2103 show on style.com. I did a double take because at first I was taken back, and then I thought I was not giving the collection a fair chance.
"It was all about the eighties at Kate Spade New York's Fall 2013 presentation. Blondie blasted in the background, hot pink ruled, and old-school taxicabs served as props. It looked like a set for Sex and the City reboot The Carrie Diaries, which takes place in 1984.
If that all sounds a bit tacky, well, it was. Irreverent would be a nicer way to put it. But in its 20th year, Kate Spade New York could give two hoots what its critics think. Because its customer is more than satisfied".
Some of the pieces were pretty and wearable, although they seemed reductive to me. I thought look 2 was lovely and something about it reminded me of the colors of the Isabel Toledo Coat worn by Michelle Obama for the Presidential Inauguration in 2009.
When I first saw the iconic Kate Spade Sam bag, I knew I had to have it. It was handbag design stripped to a perfect essential. Class and purpose. Kate Spade designed bags that were for the successful post prep sophisticate. Some of her designs were quite feminine, but I never thought they were twee.
I admire some of the quirky accessories and still find some treasures today,
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| Catherine Street Pippa as seen on the wonderful One can't get over the habit of being a little girl all at once blog |
What do you think about this collection? Are you a satisfied Kate Spade customer?
Knityarns - thank you for this post! I am feeling, that with a few exceptions, that Kate Spade is almost a caricature of itself now. I find it too much (and this from a woman who lusts after their odd quirky clutch!)
ReplyDeleteThe only item I would wear from above is the coat. I had the same feeling when I went into the Kate Spade store in Boston this summer - I felt there was nothing for me, except for the odd piece of conversational jewellery or purse. The only thing i am seeing that really remind me of the 80s, despite the ongoing neon, and which I really detest, are the Bill Cosby-esque sweaters. I disliked them and the the neon in the 80s and still do. My 20 year old daughter finds them fun. I am not sure you can ever re-wear the same stuff when it comes back around 30 years later..
Caricature of itself is a great way to put it. I always felt that Kate Spade had an Upper East side vibe- not as landed gentry as Ralph Lauren, and not as Miami as Lilly Pulitzer. Now it is too tongue in cheek , and bordering on the juvenile. I am not surprised your daughter likes some of the clothing, but that is a steep price point for that demographic. Things always recycle with a new edge, and that just makes the old look dated, don't you think?
DeleteCompletely agree about KS, I like the odd thing but find it very twee and a bit sickly on the whole.
DeleteThe recent 80s-inspired fashion (Kate Spade + others) doesn't remind me of the 80s either. Preppy was more "in" (Izod shirts, fair isle sweaters), and it was all about the jeans (Jordache, Calvin Klein). I wore Tretorns, too. Clogs were also in. Thank you for reinforcing that I am not going crazy in not remembering this neon / pop-art 80s thing, it just wasn't happening where I lived.
ReplyDeleteToo funny, I was going to mention Calvin Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt, dock siders and clogs, but didn't want my post to go on forever. Remember when Izod was Izod Lacoste? I don't know what was the inspiration for this collection, but it certainly is not one of their best!
DeleteSuch a wonderful post, Knit Yarns! Kate Spade has been losing me as a customer over the past year or so. There just isn't really much that I can get excited about there anymore. As for 80's inspired, I do not remember seeing or wearing these types of outfits back then, either. I do remember lots of neon and bright colors (think the WHAM video - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go), but these silhouettes being shown are all wrong.
ReplyDeleteJust because it happened once doesn't make it worth repeating. I have to think that flattering cuts and colors would sell better than harsh colors and outre styles. It is always the too short and the too bright that languish on the sale rack. Once Kate Spade sold her company, it lost its Upper East side vibe, and became a little too trendy and cutesy.
DeleteWhat I remember most is big hair! I was very lucky to be a teenager then, I did not have to spend two hours every day taming my naturally huge mane like my daughter had to in early 2000s. Other than that, jeans with some horrible washes, plastic jewelry, oversized tops, pink and turquoise. Bright leg warmers.
ReplyDeleteKS of recent collections does absolutely nothing for me, too colorful, too cute, too Hello Kitty.
I agree AJC. I always look , because over the years I have found some nice pieces at Kate Spade, but lately I walk by the store with a glance. Additionally, their prices are quite high for garments with a very short shelf life, IMO. So funny about the hair. My straight hair suffered much curling iron trauma in the 80's!
DeleteWe were all curling our hair to make it look like Farrah Fawcett's! Did you also have a set of electric rollers?
DeleteLater on, but I am embarassed to admit I did use hairspray(non aerosol of course!)
DeleteHang on, I still use electric rollers!
DeleteThey look like Barbies. Perhaps that's the point. I remember neons, but not outfits like these. Maybe this is their interpretation of the 80s. It just looks Barbie to me. The past collections were playful and fun. This is just bizarre. I wouldn't be surprised if they are courting a younger demographic, a la Juicy Couture. They have the student discount now. If I see a bunch of teenagers toting Kate Spade I definitely won't be wearing anything that overtly shows the nameplate. Hello, Coach.
ReplyDeleteHello Coach- too funny! I groaned when I saw all the tweens at my swim club sporting Tory Burch Flip Flops. I remember when my niece wanted a Vera Bradley bag and my 13 year old son(at the time) said"Oh you can't walk through the halls of my school with out getting hit in the face with one of those. Ditto for The North Face Polar Fleece, Uggs, and the Tiffany Bracelets. Madness. Such a high price point for teens.
ReplyDelete