Upon graduation, she landed her first position with Mademoiselle magazine in New York City working in the accessories department.  Having a keen eye for trends she quickly blossomed and was eventually promoted to Senior Fashion Editor and Head of accessories for the magazine.

When Kate couldn’t find the perfect handbag that was sleek, functional, yet elegant in design for her own taste she decided to design her own.  Her husband, Andy encouraged her to pursue her ideas and in 1993,  they became business partners launching Kate Spade handbags.

Almost instantly women and fashion editors fell in love with  Kate’s designs. In 1997, she was awarded America’s New Fashion Talent in Accessories, and again in 1998, for Best Accessory Designer of the Year.

Her iconic logos are recognized globally and she is hailed for her use of graphics, vivid color palettes.

In 2007, the American Brand was acquired by Liz Claiborne Inc with the intention to keep Kate Spade’s core values and the aim to broaden the product line. To date there product category includes, handbags, clothing, jewelry, shoes, stationery, glasses, baby and home. They have thirty-six shops across the United States, and are sold in every time zone and on every continent.

Kate Spade:  The Classic Chic Designer

A leader in design for over 20 years, he has received 4 CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) awards!  His 1995 movie UNZIPPED debut the behind the seams look at fashion

Perhaps he is best known for revolutionizing the fashion industry when he teamed with Target to launch a stylishly chic collection for every woman.

Multi-talented, Isaac has created costumes for movies, theatre, dance and opera in addition to writing a series of comic books in 1997. On TV he is a favorite on the Oxygen Channel and Style Networks as well as Bravo and in 2008, Gotham published his book How to Have Style.

By December of  2009, Mizrahi launched a new collection on QVC called ISAACMIZRAHILIVE! It is a key lifestyle collection that showcases his favorites from handbags to dresses and cheesecakes.  Currently he oversees the design and development of Liz Claiborne New York as its Creative Director.

I don’t think he sleeps much, but when does find free time he loves to cook and watch the Yankees play ball!

Check out his Fall 2010 Collection now!

Isaac Mizrahi designs for every woman! I think he’d like my motto:

“Look Good, Feel Great and Have FUN Doing It!”

Designer for the REAL woman’s body…

“Over the years, the designer has demonstrated the talent to do it all.” Women’s Wear Daily

Growing up in a traditional Spanish/Italian family in Westchester County, NY, Carmen Marc Valvo developed spirit and talent early on.  His parents, both in the medical profession, once influenced his decision to become a plastic surgeon.

Valvo loved painting, oil painting in fact and began his ascent towards design when he created medieval costumes for his sister.

His educational career began at Manhattanville College. After traveling in Europe and becoming proficient in several languages, he enrolled at Parsons School of Design in New York. He then began his design education in the house of Nina Riccia in Paris designing ready to wear.  Shortly thereafter, he went to Christian Dior but by 1989 he was ready to launch his own label.

Sounding like a Cinderella story, with just a few thousand dollars in his pocket he pulled together a collection to show to specialty stores at fall market in New York.  His sportswear was immediately snapped up by several top stores giving him the encouragement to go where his true passion was-in eveningwear.  It is there that he captured the heart and soul of high end buyers at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

Fast forward today, what sets Valvo apart is his extraordinary craftsmanship and excruciating attention to hand detail.

His technical skill and mastering the fine art of cutting and draping and fit issues with a woman’s body made him a popular designer to influential stars such as Beyonce, Opra, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah and Kim Cattrall.  These are all beautiful curvaceous women.  So perhaps he is a surgeon after all!

“Look Good, Feel Great and Have FUN Doing It!”