The Kate Spade brand has been a red-carpet staple for more than 20 years - here are some of its most iconic moments in the spotlight

Hillary Hoffower

Jun 6, 2018, 01:39 IST

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Actresses Mandy Moore, Ellie Kemper, and Ashley Benson wearing Kate Spade.

Fashion designer Kate Spade died of apparent suicide on Tuesday.
Her iconic brand, Kate Spade New York, was beloved by many, including celebrities Kate Middleton and Taylor Swift.
The fashion label has been a red-carpet staple for more than 20 years.

Fashion designer Kate Spade, 55, was found dead in her Manhattan apartment on Tuesday in an apparent suicide, according to various reports.

Spade got her start in fashion as an assistant editor at Mademoiselle making $14,500 a year, reported the New York Times. In 1993, she founded her namesake business, Kate Spade New York, which has more than 315 stores globally and 140 stores in the US.

The fashion label has been a household name for more than 20 years and has been beloved by everyone from Kate Middleton to Taylor Swift.

Here are some of the brand's most iconic red-carpet moments.

Kate Spade founded her namesake brand in 1993. The designer set out to make handbags that could "assume the personality of the wearer, not the reverse," she told the Boston Globe in 1999. "I also wanted timelessness," she said.

Kate Spade founded her namesake brand in 1993. The designer set out to make handbags that could "assume the personality of the wearer, not the reverse," she told the Boston Globe in 1999. "I also wanted timelessness," she said.

Source: Racked, Boston Globe

Within the decade, Kate Spade designs were regarded of the same caliber as luxury brands Gucci, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. Fashion influencers took quickly to Kate Spade — Anna Wintour, Julia Roberts, and Gwyneth Paltrow were seen wearing the brand on red carpets.

Within the decade, Kate Spade designs were regarded of the same caliber as luxury brands Gucci, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. Fashion influencers took quickly to Kate Spade — Anna Wintour, Julia Roberts, and Gwyneth Paltrow were seen wearing the brand on red carpets.

Source: Racked

By the mid-2000s, the Kate Spade brand had become synonymous with "sophistication, freshness, and impeccable good taste," as described by Fortune Magazine.

Source: Racked

The Spades had not been directly involved in the fashion label since 2006, when they sold their remaining stake to Neiman Marcus. Yet, the brand has built upon Kate Spade's original designs and remained a red-carpet staple.

The Spades had not been directly involved in the fashion label since 2006, when they sold their remaining stake to Neiman Marcus. Yet, the brand has built upon Kate Spade's original designs and remained a red-carpet staple.

Source: Racked, Business Insider

One of the brand's key signatures is preppy stripes, like the striped Kate Spade dress Taylor Swift wore to the Kiss FM Jingle Ball in 2012.

The Kate Spade brand is known for its clear colors and clean lines. In 2014, Janelle Monae wore a Kate Spade dress to the Hollywood Film Awards.

Kate Spade aims to inspire colorful living. Zooey Deschanel wore a boldly colored Kate Spade design at the seventh annual Governors Awards in 2015.

The brand prides itself on its spirited approach, exemplified by Zoe Kazan's Kate Spade ensemble at the 2015 Glamour Women of the Year Awards.

Source: Kate Spade

In 2017, the year Kate Spade was purchased by Coach for $2.4 billion, Kate Middleton was spotted wearing a floral Kate Spade dress.

A consistent fan of the designer, Kate Middleton wore Kate Spade again when visiting the Foundling Museum later in 2017.

Kate Spade's clothes are marked by preppy silhouettes. "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown attended the 2017 BAFTA Tea Party in a monochromatic Kate Spade dress with preppy back bow.

America Ferrera attended the Planned Parenthood 100th Anniversary Gala in 2017 with a custom Kate Spade clutch befitting of the event. Kate Spade clutches and handbags retail anywhere from $60 to $600.

Kate Spade's shoe line is equally as funky and fun as the handbag line. Polka dots are yet another preppy signature for the brand.

Mandy Moore (right), Ashley Benson (right), and Ellie Kemper (left) all wore patterned Kate Spade dresses to the 2017 CFDA Awards.

The brand describes itself as fresh and modern, much like the colorful, striped Kate Spade dress Emily Blunt was spotted wearing at Spring Summer 2018 New York Fashion Week.

Source: Kate Spade

Chrissy Metz wore a custom cobalt blue Kate Spade to the 24th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2018, perhaps one of the brand's last iconic red-carpet moments before its founder's death.

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