She leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes.
June 5, 2018 11:44 AM Subscribe
Kate Spade, born Katherine Noel Frances Valentine Brosnahan, has been found dead in her Manhattan home at age 55. [Warning, suicide]
She started Kate Spade handbags in 1993. In 1996, she was named the CDFA America's New Fashion Talent in Accessories. Neiman Marcus Group bought the company outright in 2006. Last year, she changed her name to Kate Valentine, started a new line of accessories by the same name with her husband, Andy Spade.
Ms. Valentine was the Chair of the Board of the New York Center for Children.
Depression does not discriminate. If you or someone you know needs help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-8255. Reach out to people around you, whether you can give help or you need help.
She started Kate Spade handbags in 1993. In 1996, she was named the CDFA America's New Fashion Talent in Accessories. Neiman Marcus Group bought the company outright in 2006. Last year, she changed her name to Kate Valentine, started a new line of accessories by the same name with her husband, Andy Spade.
Ms. Valentine was the Chair of the Board of the New York Center for Children.
Depression does not discriminate. If you or someone you know needs help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-8255. Reach out to people around you, whether you can give help or you need help.
What the actual hell
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posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 11:50 AM on June 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
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posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 11:50 AM on June 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
Katherine Noel Frances Valentine Brosnahan
With a name like that, her only career choices were fashion designer, evil baroness, fancy art critic, or frog. She chose well.
RIP.
posted by The_Vegetables at 11:54 AM on June 5, 2018 [48 favorites]
With a name like that, her only career choices were fashion designer, evil baroness, fancy art critic, or frog. She chose well.
RIP.
posted by The_Vegetables at 11:54 AM on June 5, 2018 [48 favorites]
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I was trying to figure out where I’d seen the name Brosnahan recently. Rachel Brosnahan, Kate’s niece, was interviewed on WTF last week.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:55 AM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
I was trying to figure out where I’d seen the name Brosnahan recently. Rachel Brosnahan, Kate’s niece, was interviewed on WTF last week.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:55 AM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
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I am not into fashion, I'm a total normcore dude, however I have owned several Jack Spade products because holy hell are they indestructible, my messenger bag is going on 15 years now of hard, daily use. I like the products enough that I actually followed Kate Spade a bit and loved hearing her speak in interviews and podcasts. She was an achiever who achieved, this sucks.
posted by Twinge at 11:55 AM on June 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
I am not into fashion, I'm a total normcore dude, however I have owned several Jack Spade products because holy hell are they indestructible, my messenger bag is going on 15 years now of hard, daily use. I like the products enough that I actually followed Kate Spade a bit and loved hearing her speak in interviews and podcasts. She was an achiever who achieved, this sucks.
posted by Twinge at 11:55 AM on June 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
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posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:00 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:00 PM on June 5, 2018
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We have used a Kate Spade diaper-changing pad for the past two kids, and that thing is wearing like iron.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 12:00 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
We have used a Kate Spade diaper-changing pad for the past two kids, and that thing is wearing like iron.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 12:00 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Rachel Brosnahan, Kate’s niece
Not just niece, but a gifted actress and comedian (hence the WTF interview). She killed in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel".
posted by ryanshepard at 12:03 PM on June 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
Not just niece, but a gifted actress and comedian (hence the WTF interview). She killed in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel".
posted by ryanshepard at 12:03 PM on June 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
Shocking news, that someone seemingly so filled with light and whimsy proved to be not so.
Safe journey, Kate.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:03 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Safe journey, Kate.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:03 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
My wife is a handbag designer in NYC who looks up to Kate Spade's career.
This is very sad.
posted by exparrot at 12:12 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
This is very sad.
posted by exparrot at 12:12 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
This is really sad - like many, I carried a Kate Spade bag to my first job interview and then continued using it for years.
posted by betweenthebars at 12:13 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by betweenthebars at 12:13 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
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posted by lalochezia at 12:17 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by lalochezia at 12:17 PM on June 5, 2018
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posted by Sphinx at 12:18 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Sphinx at 12:18 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
I’m a huge Kate Spade fangirl. This is hitting me hard.
RIP and thanks for the whimsy and style. Love to her family.
posted by pxe2000 at 12:23 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
RIP and thanks for the whimsy and style. Love to her family.
posted by pxe2000 at 12:23 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
I work at a fashion brand company HQ and the news spread like wildfire this morning. Her brand was something we always took inspiration from - the whimsical nature, the quality of the products.
May she find peace and relief from the pain she must have been silently suffering from.
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posted by hillabeans at 12:23 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
May she find peace and relief from the pain she must have been silently suffering from.
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posted by hillabeans at 12:23 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Lost a close friend to suicide last year and I've started having dreams that the whole thing was staged and he faked his death.....my heart goes out to those close to her
posted by thelonius at 12:30 PM on June 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 12:30 PM on June 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
just had a really nice chat with my neighbor yesterday and we touched on our mutual struggles with depression and getting through the day to day stuff. what we see from the outside is so misleading, as the depressed are often so good at hiding their pain. we don't want to be a burden, or get you down, man.
hugs for all who want them
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posted by supermedusa at 12:36 PM on June 5, 2018 [41 favorites]
hugs for all who want them
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posted by supermedusa at 12:36 PM on June 5, 2018 [41 favorites]
The brand first came to my notice because of the stunning emerald green she liked to use with her accessories. So gorgeous!
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posted by orrnyereg at 12:36 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by orrnyereg at 12:36 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
How very sad. This world is just the worst. It grinds up everyone's hearts. My deepest sympathy to her family and friends, and to Kate especially.
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posted by but no cigar at 12:38 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
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posted by but no cigar at 12:38 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
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posted by supercrayon at 12:41 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by supercrayon at 12:41 PM on June 5, 2018
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posted by agatha_magatha at 12:43 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by agatha_magatha at 12:43 PM on June 5, 2018
Kate Spade was a Jeopardy answer just yesterday.
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posted by Thorzdad at 1:09 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
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posted by Thorzdad at 1:09 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
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posted by one teak forest at 1:27 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by one teak forest at 1:27 PM on June 5, 2018
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posted by fiercecupcake at 1:47 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by fiercecupcake at 1:47 PM on June 5, 2018
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A pink and white Kate Spade towel hangs in the kitchen exhorting us "eat cake for breakfast". Maybe tomorrow we will. Life is short and pain is long.
posted by Flannery Culp at 1:53 PM on June 5, 2018 [25 favorites]
A pink and white Kate Spade towel hangs in the kitchen exhorting us "eat cake for breakfast". Maybe tomorrow we will. Life is short and pain is long.
posted by Flannery Culp at 1:53 PM on June 5, 2018 [25 favorites]
I consider my first Kate Spade bag, bought 14 years ago, to be my first grown-up handbag: colourful, cheery, and sturdy. wearing it sometimes gave me the extra ooomf that beautiful things can do. Thank you, Kate. i’m sorry you suffered so and for your loved ones, too.
posted by lemon_icing at 1:55 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by lemon_icing at 1:55 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
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posted by dannyboybell at 1:56 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by dannyboybell at 1:56 PM on June 5, 2018
In one of those bizarre coincidences of the universe, she was a correct response to a clue on yesterday's Jeopardy!, in the final clue of the Jeopardy round.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 2:05 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 2:05 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
When I was in college, I bought my first Kate Spade bag. It was a small black backpack type bag. It was a lot of money and I felt guilty, but I bought it for myself for my birthday anyway.
I used that bag for 20 years. No joke. It went with me to a beach adventure in Belize and my first trip to Paris. It was the best bag. Two years ago, the zipper finally broke on it and could not be repaired.
I am sorry for her friends and family for what they are going through. I am sorry for what she went through.
posted by miss-lapin at 2:07 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
I used that bag for 20 years. No joke. It went with me to a beach adventure in Belize and my first trip to Paris. It was the best bag. Two years ago, the zipper finally broke on it and could not be repaired.
I am sorry for her friends and family for what they are going through. I am sorry for what she went through.
posted by miss-lapin at 2:07 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
My reading glasses are Kate Spade. This may sound like a dippy random thing to share, but her eyeglass frames are kind of a godsend -- they fit my small head perfectly and the aesthetic is spot-on nerdy-retro stylish without being toooooo much.
She's about ten years older than me and the brand consistently NAILS the fashion needs of a certain type of GenX woman.
posted by desuetude at 2:07 PM on June 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
She's about ten years older than me and the brand consistently NAILS the fashion needs of a certain type of GenX woman.
posted by desuetude at 2:07 PM on June 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
Like many, I am a huge Kate Spade fan. I love her products, just love them.
My best friend committed suicide, ten years ago now, and every time I think I've mostly come to terms with it as much as I'm going to, something reminds me that I might never.
What a terrible, terrible shame.
posted by biscotti at 2:17 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
My best friend committed suicide, ten years ago now, and every time I think I've mostly come to terms with it as much as I'm going to, something reminds me that I might never.
What a terrible, terrible shame.
posted by biscotti at 2:17 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mod note: A few comments deleted. I know people are coming from a compassionate place, but gently I'll ask that we avoid descriptions, details of notes, our own suicidal thoughts, or other stuff that can be triggering for other people reading the thread. If anyone needs to talk, please reach out to someone -- there's the hotlines collected at the ThereIsHelp page, the mods are at the contact form, or reach out to a friend/family/etc.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 2:17 PM on June 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 2:17 PM on June 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
The only true jasmine-scented fragrance I've liked is Beauty, by Kate Spade. It's been discontinued now, and costs a fortune to buy, so I've been holding on to my almost-done bottle for dear life.
I wore some to work today in her honor.
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posted by Everydayville at 2:34 PM on June 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
I wore some to work today in her honor.
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posted by Everydayville at 2:34 PM on June 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
The first bag I ever admitting loving to the point of not being rational about bags was a Kate Spade cross body purse. My mom had just bought it. This was about 3 months after I had come out to her as a trans woman. It was early summer. Fast forward to Christmas, my mom pulled me aside quietly from the large family gathering and handed me the purse, she said I needed to know what it felt like to have a bag that I loved like that. Of course, my mom being my mom said “I just want you to know that I feel the same way about it as you do”.
I still have it, much loved and worn. I only bring it out now for certain occasions. I fucking love that bag. I turned from a lost, feral trans girl into a woman wearing that bag.
So yeah. There’s my words.
posted by nikaspark at 2:41 PM on June 5, 2018 [84 favorites]
I still have it, much loved and worn. I only bring it out now for certain occasions. I fucking love that bag. I turned from a lost, feral trans girl into a woman wearing that bag.
So yeah. There’s my words.
posted by nikaspark at 2:41 PM on June 5, 2018 [84 favorites]
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I somehow never realized that she was David Spade's sister-in-law.
posted by 4ster at 2:52 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
I somehow never realized that she was David Spade's sister-in-law.
posted by 4ster at 2:52 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
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posted by Anita Bath at 3:20 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by Anita Bath at 3:20 PM on June 5, 2018
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posted by Tesseractive at 3:33 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by Tesseractive at 3:33 PM on June 5, 2018
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posted by limeonaire at 3:50 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by limeonaire at 3:50 PM on June 5, 2018
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The only Kate Spade I own is a smart phone case, but I get a frisson of pleasure every time I pick up my phone. I really loved her designs, they were full of elegance, whimsy and joy. I hope she is at peace.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 4:09 PM on June 5, 2018
The only Kate Spade I own is a smart phone case, but I get a frisson of pleasure every time I pick up my phone. I really loved her designs, they were full of elegance, whimsy and joy. I hope she is at peace.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 4:09 PM on June 5, 2018
She's about ten years older than me and the brand consistently NAILS the fashion needs of a certain type of GenX woman.
That's so right, right there. Her line always had fun, whimsical items that you could wear to work or a party. Other than a Disney Haunted Mansion print Dooney & Bourke bag, my designer accessories are all Kate Spade. Most from Thredup, some from ebay, a few bought new. I have a large white scarf with black eyeglass print that goes with jeans, work suits, sundresses, you name it. For a while I had the matching iPhone case. And hey, those Kate Spade hybrid phone cases are gold. I drop my phone all the time and there is not one ding.
I hate this news.
posted by kimberussell at 4:13 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
That's so right, right there. Her line always had fun, whimsical items that you could wear to work or a party. Other than a Disney Haunted Mansion print Dooney & Bourke bag, my designer accessories are all Kate Spade. Most from Thredup, some from ebay, a few bought new. I have a large white scarf with black eyeglass print that goes with jeans, work suits, sundresses, you name it. For a while I had the matching iPhone case. And hey, those Kate Spade hybrid phone cases are gold. I drop my phone all the time and there is not one ding.
I hate this news.
posted by kimberussell at 4:13 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Many years ago I went to some kind of indescribable art fair /party under the Brooklyn Bridge and Kate Spade had set up stands offering free popcorn in the most beautiful paper cones with swirly handles - that was my Kate Spade 'bag'. I kept it for a long time. I hope it survived my latest move. I need to go find it.
She seemed like such a nice lady.
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posted by maggiemaggie at 5:09 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
She seemed like such a nice lady.
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posted by maggiemaggie at 5:09 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
When I started working a professional job (as opposed to food service or retail) I treated myself to a Kate Spade calendar insert for my Filofax. It was a ridiculous impulse and out of my budget, but it brought me a year's worth of joy.
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:23 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:23 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
.đź‘ś
posted by nicebookrack at 6:11 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by nicebookrack at 6:11 PM on June 5, 2018
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posted by spinifex23 at 6:13 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by spinifex23 at 6:13 PM on June 5, 2018
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I remember seeing my first Kate Spade bag in NYC more than ~25 years ago, as a young professional, and dumbstruck at how perfectly she captured what I wanted in a bag. Those black bags with the bows, I will forever be in love. I had no idea she'd sold the company, but I'm still
wrecked by her suicide, I've been thinking about it all day.
posted by honey badger at 6:13 PM on June 5, 2018
I remember seeing my first Kate Spade bag in NYC more than ~25 years ago, as a young professional, and dumbstruck at how perfectly she captured what I wanted in a bag. Those black bags with the bows, I will forever be in love. I had no idea she'd sold the company, but I'm still
wrecked by her suicide, I've been thinking about it all day.
posted by honey badger at 6:13 PM on June 5, 2018
What? Noooooo!! I was just in Nordstrom’s and remarking how it’s always Kate Spade that turns my head.
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posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:44 PM on June 5, 2018
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posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:44 PM on June 5, 2018
I seem to be the only woman on the internet today who has never owned a Kate Spade handbag. It's pretty amazing how much of an impact she had.
posted by orange swan at 6:53 PM on June 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by orange swan at 6:53 PM on June 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
I’m a dude, and I have known about Kate Spade for years. There’s something lovely about the fact that she provided the work bags for a generation of women (perhaps the most gender equal generation we humans have managed to produce yet, with a long way to go implicitly acknowledged) to take to their high power professional jobs, my amazing wife included. I’d say she’s definitely earned her place in the museum of Fight the Patriarchy.
Depression is shit. There is help. And it’s incumbent upon all of us to change the condition of modern living that seems to be making us all so depressed.
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posted by Slarty Bartfast at 7:29 PM on June 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
Depression is shit. There is help. And it’s incumbent upon all of us to change the condition of modern living that seems to be making us all so depressed.
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posted by Slarty Bartfast at 7:29 PM on June 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
This article includes some thoughts from her sister. Tragically, stigma seems to have played a big part, by making her feel she couldn't seek help because it might harm the "happy-go-lucky" image of the brand.
posted by Lexica at 7:31 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Lexica at 7:31 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
I cashed in my Westlaw rewards points at the end of law school for what was the first of several Kate Spade bags I own. For a now-35 lawyer, Kate Spade is the one brand I've been (relatively) loyal to my entire professional career; I may buy other bag brands sometimes, but I always come back. Our wedding photos are in Kate Spade frames on the bookcase. Her products have brought a lot of joy to my daily life. I'm so very sorry that she suffered so much.
posted by gatorae at 7:44 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by gatorae at 7:44 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
My secret quonsar gifted me some lovely Kate Spade binder clips last year. They say things like "Get a Grip", but more importantly "Hold on Tight." Hold on tight, people.
posted by vespabelle at 8:32 PM on June 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by vespabelle at 8:32 PM on June 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
Two family friends committed suicide today - Kate and another. ugh. Both women. Both unexpectedly. Sorry for the brevity, just wanted to chime in, thats all.
posted by blaneyphoto at 9:18 PM on June 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by blaneyphoto at 9:18 PM on June 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
A lot of really inappropriate detail has leaked into the press; persons who are easily distressed by such may want to avoid coverage altogether.
posted by praemunire at 9:32 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 9:32 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Well shit, I just realized that my eyeglasses are Kate Spade. They're cute and awesome.
May she find her peace.
posted by hydra77 at 10:35 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
May she find her peace.
posted by hydra77 at 10:35 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
I seem to be the only woman on the internet today who has never owned a Kate Spade handbag. It's pretty amazing how much of an impact she had.
I haven't owned one of her handbags, but last year I treated myself to my first new pair of prescription sunglasses in well over a decade. I have a narrow face, and the Kate Spade brand was one of the few in the store that didn't look ridiculously oversized on my head.
I normally don't care what brand my glasses are, but in light of the fact that the Kate Spade handbags I liked looking at never seemed to fit my lifestyle enough to justify buying one, I thought it was neat to have Kate Spade sunglasses.
:(
posted by bananana at 7:47 AM on June 6, 2018
I haven't owned one of her handbags, but last year I treated myself to my first new pair of prescription sunglasses in well over a decade. I have a narrow face, and the Kate Spade brand was one of the few in the store that didn't look ridiculously oversized on my head.
I normally don't care what brand my glasses are, but in light of the fact that the Kate Spade handbags I liked looking at never seemed to fit my lifestyle enough to justify buying one, I thought it was neat to have Kate Spade sunglasses.
:(
posted by bananana at 7:47 AM on June 6, 2018
I found this next essay a thoughtful cultural analysis but a very bleak read. If you're struggling today with Kate Spade's death or with your own thoughts, I'd pass on this link for now. (There are no physical descriptions of violence or Spade's suicide.)
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, The Dissonance of Kate Spade
posted by nicebookrack at 1:43 PM on June 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, The Dissonance of Kate Spade
posted by nicebookrack at 1:43 PM on June 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
A lot of really inappropriate detail has leaked into the press; persons who are easily distressed by such may want to avoid coverage altogether.
I am absolutely furious about this. Seriously, avoiding further coverage is a good idea.
posted by Ruki at 2:58 PM on June 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
I am absolutely furious about this. Seriously, avoiding further coverage is a good idea.
posted by Ruki at 2:58 PM on June 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Seriously. I cannot believe the amount of stuff that immediately leaked on this in the mainstream press. I feel like I knew to avoid tmz and other gossip sites but there was a gross headline on the nbc news website about method and just...there is a young teenage daughter and now all of this shit is around forever on the web.
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posted by fluffy battle kitten at 3:56 PM on June 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
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posted by fluffy battle kitten at 3:56 PM on June 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
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My mother bought me my first Kate Spade purse for Christmas last year. It's a delicate black cross-body purse, and I love it because my mother bought me something because she thought it suited me. Most of her gifts for me are things that she likes, and she thinks that I should like them, too. (I don't, usually, because we have wildly different styles.)
I haven't used it much, it always seemed too nice and too lovely. I should fix that.
posted by PearlRose at 9:58 AM on June 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
My mother bought me my first Kate Spade purse for Christmas last year. It's a delicate black cross-body purse, and I love it because my mother bought me something because she thought it suited me. Most of her gifts for me are things that she likes, and she thinks that I should like them, too. (I don't, usually, because we have wildly different styles.)
I haven't used it much, it always seemed too nice and too lovely. I should fix that.
posted by PearlRose at 9:58 AM on June 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:18 PM on June 7, 2018
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:18 PM on June 7, 2018
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posted by Melismata at 11:46 AM on June 5, 2018