quote of the day: the Critical Shopper visits the new Kate Spade store

The Critical Shopper is not just one person, but is the nom-de-presse of a column written by rotating style and fashion journalists at the New York Times.  The subject of the column is usually a visit to a new or new-ish store, a quest for the best something., the general silliness of New Yorkers... you can see it's hard to run out of material in this area.

In this morning's column, the Shopper paid a visit to a Kate Spade store which has recently opened on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and viewed the staff, decor and merchandise through jaundice-colored glasses.

Ready for the quote:
"Jewel tones, bad puns and smatterings of adornment on basic sportswear (contrary to the label’s origins, Ms. Lloyd [the KS president and corporate muse] finds minimalism “a bore”) — it was all a little J. Crew, but slightly askew."
Thank you, Critical Shopper. Oooh, it even rhymes.
Posted by
at Labels: ,

23 comments:

  1. ruthMay 30, 2013 at 7:58 AM

    Lovely! Just trying to imagine it being a little J Crew, but all askew.
    I'm not really familiar with Kate Spade. One of the trials (benefits?) of living on the other side of the world is that we don't always get stuff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wellfedfredMay 30, 2013 at 11:00 AM

      hi, Ruth, the website www.katespade.com is fairly representative of the merchandise and of the "personality".

      Delete
  2. WendyMcLeodMacKnightMay 30, 2013 at 8:23 AM

    jcrew but askew. Hmm - I thought new J Crew was old J Crew askew!

    ReplyDelete
  3. cateMay 30, 2013 at 8:41 AM

    WMM, J. Crew askew is the new J. Crew, get it straight! lol I always look at the Kate Spade online sales when people post about them, but I think it just isn't my style because there is usually not anything I want (same when I look in the store).

    ReplyDelete
  4. LaneMay 30, 2013 at 10:03 AM

    I feel a poem in the works from you , Fred. Adieu!

    ReplyDelete
  5. xoxoMay 30, 2013 at 10:10 AM

    Hilarious! I have visited a couple Kate Spade B&Ms and the offerings just don't appeal to me. Always seems a bit kitschy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wellfedfredMay 30, 2013 at 11:51 AM

      yes, I'm waiting for KS to invent the bow-shaped sequin. Or for DL to invent the sequin-shaped bow

      Delete
  6. JulieStylesMay 30, 2013 at 11:38 AM

    So funny! I try to like Kate Spade because of the excellent quality, but none of it resides in my closet except for a great pair of flats. They've gotten too "cute" for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wellfedfredMay 30, 2013 at 11:53 AM

      and I have one KS clutch (woody) and one change purse (sunglasses), and that's all the cute I have room for.

      Delete
  7. JRSConiferMay 30, 2013 at 10:59 PM

    I too don't have any KS. I bought a handbag from her once and it fell apart so that love affair ended with a bad experience and a return.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wellfedfredMay 31, 2013 at 4:06 PM

      ouch. we know how awful it is to have things fall apart. or develop mysterious holes, or lose un-matchable buttons, or grow pills..

      Delete
  8. Pat OlskiMay 30, 2013 at 11:42 PM

    So true( hey that rhymes, too)! I remember when KS first appeared on the scene, I thought everything was so spare and sophisticated. All of those retail giants lost their panache when they were sold, IMO. Tommy Bahama, Kate Spade, Lilly Pulitzer, Adrienne Vittadini and Sigrid Olsen. Yikes I could keep going but it is too depressing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wellfedfredMay 31, 2013 at 4:08 PM

      true indeed... I just had color done, and my wonderful colorist was lamenting Banana Republic, when you felt like your trip began when you walked in the door.

      Delete
  9. ajcMay 31, 2013 at 12:36 AM

    I tend to agree. Kate Spade stuff is usually too Hello Kitty for me. I only own a purse, but I do love it, it is my favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownMay 31, 2013 at 1:16 AM

    I stick to the handbags, for the most part. No fails so far. Woot! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wellfedfredMay 31, 2013 at 5:07 PM

      hi, Gigi! they started with bags, so of all things, they ought to get those right!

      Delete
  11. tiffany roseMay 31, 2013 at 3:50 AM

    I think of KS as neater JC and with more wit. I have the coat pictured above, a function of my only visit to a KS store: Tried it on and loved it but not at FP, then stalked and purchased online when it went to sale plus extra percentage off.

    Oh and I did get that typewriter bag and love it too. I guess I will never grow up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wellfedfredMay 31, 2013 at 4:20 PM

      Oh, I adore that typewriter bag, if only I had the height and muscles for a large bag it would have been mine on the last KS sale.

      My neighbor, the 95-year-old daughter of a Bygone Merchant Prince, says her daughters think of J.Crew as Villager with cheaper fabrics and slimmer cuts. This lady is very interested in fashion, I have seen her tottering to the gym wearing a Hermes track suit. Worth lurking in the lobby!

      Delete
  12. JenMay 31, 2013 at 8:09 AM

    Does KS have a Crewhenge view?
    Skeleton-less models made of sinew?
    Dear Fred, please continue...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wellfedfredMay 31, 2013 at 4:21 PM

      Jen! How did you know!! I'm working on finding enough relevant rhymes for "Caligula," the emperor who made himself a god in his own lifetime.

      Delete

As Alice Roosevelt Longworth said, if you've got anything bad to say, sit next to me! No, really, please remember to be kind, and don't say anything fred's mother would not approve of (Diner's mom didn't approve of anything. Including fred.)
Wellfedfred and the Whining Diner reserve the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to this blog without notice if we find:
1. Comments deemed to be spam or questionable spam
2. Comments including profanity or objectionable language
3. Comments containing concepts that could be deemed offensive
4. Comments that attack a person individually
and since there's been a flood of spam lately, we're trying the Robot thing to see if we can block some spam...

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)