• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Californians at Home
  • Home & Decor
    • Our California Remodel
    • Shop My Home
    • Lake Tahoe Cabin Style
    • Books I Adore
  • My California Closet

Northern California Style

Northern California Style

  • Home
  • About
  • Californians at Home
  • Home & Decor
    • Our California Remodel
    • Shop My Home
    • Lake Tahoe Cabin Style
    • Books I Adore
  • My California Closet
  • Shop My Home
    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Kate Spade

What Kate Spade Meant to Us

June 6, 2018 By kimwheeler 24 Comments

The death of Kate Spade was a sad shock to me yesterday. I just adored her and her personal style forever. It also hurt in part because she was one of us. She was an American girl, self-made and close in age to so many of us. She was just 55 years old, yet we sort of grew up with her and saw her rise to a household name. She made the accessory every woman needed cool and functional and attainable. She also created a lifestyle brand that was based not on money and status, but on simply enjoying life and finding the fun in it all.

Just Monday unbelievably I was going through a friend’s closet with her and we uncovered her Kate bags and reminisced about how cool they had been. They were of an era that seems so much simpler. The Kate Spade line was different as it bore the almost plain name of an American woman, and by design it was simple too. Those early bags were bare and uncomplicated and yet the height of chic when they first appeared. I remember saving for one of her bags and the exact day I walked into the San Francisco Neiman Marcus to make my purchase. It was a niche line back in the mid 90’s and Neimans was one of the first to carry Kate Spade.

My original Kate which I still treasure.

I was young, at my first real job then and liked buying a bag by an American designer and one that few other people had. The Italian made bag was a thick brown shiny leather bag with one simple shoulder handle. The leather and lining were elegant and luxurious and the details were and are still are beautiful. Kate soon became known for her fabric totes- black and Neapolitan ice cream colored stripes being two of the best, and all the cool gals had them. Years later those same women became mothers and the Kate Spade nylon diaper bag became THE bag everyone wanted. What was nice was you could afford a Kate bag. They were pricey, but for the quality you felt it was justified. These were not $1,000 bags. They were bags that most women could aspire to and felt stylish carrying.

Remember these bags?

The ads for the line were always fantastic!

 

The sweet ads really reflect a particular age and time in a lot of people’s lives.

Kate in one of her first boutiques.

I owned five of Kate’s leather handbags over the years and one awesome canvas and orange leather beach tote with romantic writing that my pal Ani gave me. I carried them all for ages and got many compliments on their beauty over the years. Not one of those bags ever fell apart. In fact I recently parted with them under duress and the need to have less. I couldn’t part with the first one though. Except for the first, each of those bags were a gift for a special occasion. I would always ask my husband if we could go to the Kate store and he let me choose my own gifts for Mother’s Days, birthdays and so on. Those bags were all from the 90’s to the early 2000’s when Kate was still head of the company.

 

The designs were bright and lined with pretty fabrics and super functional. I felt stylish carrying them and yet they just worked wonderfully. In 2006 they sold off the company and it changed its quality and lost much of its nonchalant chic and quirky charm to me.

Kate in the 90s.

Your Read More Link Text

Filed Under: Kate Spade, Uncategorized Tagged With: #americanstyle, #katespade

Primary Sidebar

Featured Posts

Fun Kitchen Styling Tips!

Asian Noodles & Other Main Dish Salads

Signature Style- Fall Edit & New Season Wishlist

Remodeling – The Social Front Patio

Loving Rattan and Serena & Lily

My Favorite Sheets, Duvets & More- Refreshing Your Bed

Get My Posts by Email!

Find Me on Facebook

Northern California Style

Archives

Categories

Footer

Don’t Forget to Follow!

Blogger, writer and explorer sharing about my native California, and parts farther afield. Join me here where I chat about things to love in the worlds of design, fashion, home, travel and culture.

Currently Pinning

  • Это прекрасный мир!
  • David Jimenez on Instagram: "France is officially on lockdown and and I’m grateful the government has moved quickly to curb the spread of the virus. Pharmacies, markets and the corner Tabac stores remain open (we depend on our Tabac stores the way that New Yorkers rely on corner bodegas). My corner Tabac offers expanded services that include being a Post Office annex and the easiest place to buy metro tickets in bulk while loading up on magazines and having a shot of espresso at the zinc bar. I'
  • White kitchen with copper island stainless hood.
  • A rare glimpse into how one of Boston's oldest and premier florists (and my favorite) gets ready for Valentine's Day.
Styling idea of the week…February dressing inspi Styling idea of the week…February dressing inspiration from Princess Diana.. Try a puffer vest or jacket paired with ruffles or florals and a skirt. A pretty transitional look with a romantic February vibe. 💗 Maybe you already have these items in the closet? See what you can create!

This pic is from the fun account, @lostinvintagefashion which is a wonderful rabbit hole to drop into should you need some sartorial inspiration.

Happy first of February friends!

#winterdressing #stylingideas #princessdianastyle #puffervest
The weekend post is up with chat about the trendin The weekend post is up with chat about the trending colors for 2023 in home decor and fashion.. Did you love the 80’s? If so this is perhaps a more sophisticated version with sherbet tones and bits of magenta, greens and navy.  Here I added a bit of these Easter tones to the coffee table with a grass cloth box, one of my books and a candle. I think the best way to update things is to add touches to the home and closet that appeal to you and mix them in with neutrals.. 
What do you think of these colors? I think they’re fun. Some clothing pieces bring me back to my Esprit loving days. It could be fun to add a shirt, shoe or bag in these tones and I selected a handful to consider..

Also on the blog, a few good white jeans, skin cleansers you may need and more! 

Stop on by our blogs- links as always, in our bios or stories:
@northerncalstyle 
@makemineaspritzer 
@pineconesandacorns
 Happy Sunday!

#color2023 #springcolors #trending #serenaandlily #coffeetablestyling
A January PSA- get in your closet and get those wh A January PSA- get in your closet and get those white jeans out! I found mine at the bottom of my closet today in a basket and thought -yes! I love the look of a classic white jean, paired with a chunky sweater or turtleneck in black, beige, tan, creams-  neutral colors always look fantastic. Today it was warm enough that I could go sockless and wear my Madewell loafers with them and a little jacket I have from Anthro. Get your white jeans out. it will give your winter wardrobe have a little kick. White jeans can be worn all year and they even look great with winter boots and coats. 

This is also a great time to look at your white Jean inventory. 🤍If you don’t have a pair that’s comfortable and straight leg, in a thicker material…this might be a good time to look. I’ll share some on the weekend blog as well.

if you missed our LIVE this morning, you can watch it on Juliet’s @makemineaspritzer Instagram and I’ll link to it on my stories ! Thank you everyone for tuning in in for the fun questions and comments. We love doing this with you all weekly! Let us know in comments if there are any other topics you want to hear about. Today we talked trending colors, exercise classes .. finding art and pillows and more..

#whitejeanseason #januaryclosetremix #winterwardrobehacks
I love the sunshine in the morning streaming throu I love the sunshine in the morning streaming through the kitchen.. My baby daffodils are blooming to make it even happier. This is one of my favorite things about the new year, the bulbs and daffodils and California poppies that hint spring it on the way.💛 If you don’t have a few blooms in the kitchen, maybe you can add a few?

Hope your having a beautiful week!

#kitchensun #californialife #januaryincalifornia
I love this of Liz Taylor at her first wedding to I love this of Liz Taylor at her first wedding to Richard Burton in 1965. She’s wearing a empire, knee length dress and orange blossoms in her hair, which must have smelled heavenly. I want yellow in my closet this spring!

This is the center of my spring vision board! 💛 Link to all Elizabeth’s wedding dresses on the weekend post -and a few yellow things I added to the house if you missed it! 

#yellow #yellowaesthetic #liztaylor #thebrideworeyellow #springfashion #spring2023 #vogue
Sunday beach trip… We made it to Santa Cruz to c Sunday beach trip… We made it to Santa Cruz to check out the coast after these rough last weeks. Aptos looks pretty good and poor Seacliff is terribly battered. So sad to see what people have lost. My heart goes out to them.

We had the beach to ourselves and the weather was winter perfect. ☀️Cold and sunny. We had a picnic of sandwiches from Zoccolis deli and took in the sun and sea air while watching surfers and birds.

This song just seemed to fit -and relatable as I could not sleep last night! No idea why. Isn’t it maddening? 

Hope you get a chance to take a winter beach walk.. They are the best. 

#santacruz #aptos #california #northerncalifornia #winterbeachwalks #seacliff #norcal #seascapebeach
Happy Sunday! The weekend post is up and I’m sha Happy Sunday! The weekend post is up and I’m sharing a few good ideas for a dining room refresh, pops of yellow, my favorite winter skin care essentials right now, a beautiful and unique San Francisco house in @archdigest, online yoga, and the story behind a historic San Francisco home I came upon last week.. Head to the blog for all the deets! 

I hope its a wonderful weekend.☀️

Don’t forget to visit Juliet and Elizabeth blogs ..links as always, in our bios or stories:
@northerncalstyle 
@makemineaspritzer 
@pineconesandacorns

#northerncalifornia #weekendpost #yellow #diningroomdecor #bernardmaybeck #sanfranciscohomes #architecturaldigest #potterybarn #serenaandlily #californiastyle
Our dear friend Contessa @contessa_and_her_pig has Our dear friend Contessa @contessa_and_her_pig has been seriously sick and fortunately is back home now, but still struggling with pneumonia. If anyone wants to send her a snail mail note please dm me and I will share her address. She loves unique cards and pretty postcards you’ve saved from travel, so she would be thrilled to get a little note!

It seems like just yesterday we were in her gorgeous yard taking photos for my Californians at Home series. It’s still one of my favorite photo shoots and if you want to read it again -or missed it I will link to it in my bio today. She’s one of a kind, so let’s get her well soon and bolster her spirits!!💛💛

#californiacontessa #californiansathome
I have to share a snippet of just some of the wisd I have to share a snippet of just some of the wisdom that was Martin Luther King. He will always be one of my biggest heroes and ten years ago I wrote a small post highlighting some of his very meaningful words and quotes that we could all use as a life guide. Link to the post in my bio and more on my stories. 

Do you know he is the only American to have a holiday for him that hasn’t been a president? He also had a low approval rating when he died. That has changed. Now people around the world use his teachings of living in peace and the fight for justice as a model we can strive for. I find his words so very needed in a world that is polarized more than ever. ❤️

#mlkday #mlkquotes #whatareyoudoingforothers
It’s still raining here! In an effort to use som It’s still raining here! In an effort to use some beautiful citrus and boost morale, I made these chocolate chips with a California twist. They have orange and walnuts -and for fun I added macadamias from my Hawaii trip and coconut flakes. I also switched out brown sugar for moscavado which is less refined and had more depth and flavor. So far response has been thumbs up from the home crew! 
The recipe and all the weekend fun- along with some cozy coats for this weather, and a recap of our SF meander are on the weekend blog. Juliet and Elizabeth also have great ideas this weekend.. links as always, in our bios or stories:
@northerncalstyle 
@makemineaspritzer 
@pineconesandacorns 
Have a great weekend !

#californiacookie #californialiving #californiachocolatechipcookie #weekendpost #chocolateandorange
Just a little peek at some of the homes in San Fra Just a little peek at some of the homes in San Francisco’s Laurel Heights and a little walk through the Presidio to the Lyon Street Steps. We had an unbelievably beautiful day after so much rain and darkness. I highly recommend walking through this neighborhood, through The Presidio and grabbing lunch and checking out the lovely shops like the new Emily Joubert! The views are amazing all the way to the Golden Gate, and I am in love with all the beautiful homes of San Francisco. ❤️

#sanfranciscolove #presidioheights #lyonstreetsteps #sanfranciscowalks #housesofsf #visitcalifornia #ourgoldenstate #sanfranciscomansions #citybythebay #prettycity
Unearthed my Hunter’s and dusted them up! Bring Unearthed my Hunter’s and dusted them up! Bring it on, I am ready. I’m getting used to the rain, but this California girl is struggling with the gloom. How do people do it in the Pacific Northwest? Getting out for rainy day walks seems to help. Anyone else feel the same? I feel guilty for even mentioning it, with all the flooding and struggles so many are dealing with. 
Today is good -as we have power, internet and for now, just drizzles. 

#northerncalgal #californiastorm #hunterbootslove

Copyright © 2023 · Northern California Style· Blog Design by Little Blue Deer