Kate Spade's Frances Valentine brand just opened its first-ever physical store - take a look inside

Jessica Tyler

Nov 20, 2018, 22:06 IST

Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

The Frances Valentine pop-up store will be open through January.

Kate Spade's brand, Frances Valentine, opened its first physical store in Manhattan last week.
Kate and Andy Spade started Frances Valentine in 2015 with their business partners Elyce Arons and Paola Venturi.
The store, a pop-up that will be open only for a limited time, carries handbags, shoes, and jewelry from the Frances Valentine web site. It also has select products from the "Love, Katy" collection, which takes inspiration from the designer's personal wardrobe.

Frances Valentine, the handbag and accessories brand cofounded by the late Kate Spade, opened its first physical store in Manhattan last week.

Kate and Andy Spade started Frances Valentine with their business partners Elyce Arons and Paola Venturi in 2015.

After Kate Spade's death in June, fans of Frances Valentine were uncertain what would happen to the brand. But Arons, a close friend of Spade's who had worked as head of operations at her namesake handbag brand and later became a managing partner at Frances Valentine, told Business Insider's Mary Hanbury that the company was determined to honor Spade's legacy.

"We don't know what the future holds for us, but we are determined to continue to make her beautiful work live on through Frances Valentine," Arons said in an email to Business Insider in June. "We will be stronger for her, more connected to each other through her."

Arons also said that Spade left behind four seasons of completed and designed work, along with an "abundant library of her concepts."

Frances Valentine's first physical store opened as a pop-up shop in New York City on November 15, carrying handbags, shoes, and jewelry from its web site. It also has select products from the "Love, Katy" collection, which takes inspiration from the designer's personal wardrobe.

The pop-up shop will be open through January. Here's what it's like to shop there:

The Frances Valentine pop-up opened on November 15, across the street from a Kate Spade store in Midtown Manhattan.

The accessories label, which sells luxury handbags and shoes, was founded by the late designer and her husband in 2015.

In the front of the store was a simple display with a few handbags and pairs of shoes.

The store was small and had a lot of natural light pouring in.

Handbags, shoes, and jewelry were displayed on simple white shelves that allow the bright-colored designs to pop out.

There weren't price tags on anything in the store, but online, most handbags cost between $195 and $395.

There were tables around the store with smaller accessories, too, like wallets and clutch bags.

Many of the designs in store were bright and colorful, similar to Kate Spade's namesake brand.

The store also carried products from the "Love Katy" collection, inspired by Spade's own wardrobe.

The "Love, Katy" collection was launched in honor of Spade.

The pop-up had a homey feel to it, with big couches and chairs and a big colorful carpet in the center.

The store will be open through January.

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