Daily Front Row

2013 February 9

Almost Legal: Kate Spade's 20th

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Bip Ling
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(NEW YORK) If you weren’t bold enough to venture out into the snow last night for the usual fashion week fetes, your Daily braved the elements to help the Kate Spade team celebrate their 20th anniversary in Chelsea. The setting? Couldn't have been more quintessentially Spade. Creative director Deborah Lloyd, who joined the brand in 2007, wanted to “bring Manhattan inside.”

Whitewashed brick walls were splashed with pink-lit skylines, neon lights spelling out “drink” were tossed on the ceiling, and two old-fashioned yellow cabs stole the spotlight in the middle of the space. A few guys in gorilla suits roamed around, posing with partygoers. “That was a personal request,” explained Lloyd of the decor scheme. “I didn’t want it to seem too serious.”

Fears abetted, thanks to whimsical disco balls throwing reflections everywhere and a glitter-sprinkled floor. A bevy of handsome waiters floated around between guests, depositing flutes of rose champagne that came in special 20^th anniversary bottles; a few trays of truffles made the rounds as well, though the crowd seemed more concerned with the libations than the sweets (none too surprised on that front...) A security guard had to chastise one particularly audacious guest who attempted to sit on a cab's bumper. Too much trekking around in heels, it seems! 

Oh Land spun tunes towards the beginning of the evening until London-based DJ Bip Ling, the cutest confection in a neon pink trench and metallic heels, got on deck. Audrey Gelman popped by briefly at the beginning (what better way to avoid impending drifts) while Langley Fox Hemingway stuck around a bit longer. The far corner of the large venue displayed the campaign for the newest Kate Spade fragrance, Live Colorfully, which is set to bow in April. Despite the imminent doom of Nemo, who wouldn't want to peek at the world through Spade’s rose tinted glasses? Happy 20th! 
ELIZABETH LANDERS