(1962 – 2018)
Yesterday while cooking dinner, Mr. Michie stood in the kitchen and read the news to me. I just so happened to turn at the same moment his face dropped and I knew he was going to share something awful. The news had broken, that Kate Spade had passed away.
I have long been an admirer of her and her work. I know that she is mainstream now, but in the beginning, she was the voice for the quirky girls. Those of us who loved vintage fashion, bright colours, clean design, simple yet sophisticated styles. I remember the first time I saw her counter in Bloomingdale’s on a trip to NYC with my Mom. The colours, the design, the simplicity. We oohed and aaghed for quite a while at that stand.
The thing about this age that we currently live in, with everyone sharing so much, I think it personalises people on a level where many feel that they know them. We don’t know them. Maybe we never really know anyone. I do know one thing however and that is that she must have been in a very dark place when she chose to take her own life. When you are in a place that dark, it is hard to see the light; but it is there, I promise you!
So, today as you go about your business, smile and say “thank-you!” to the person who fixes you a cup of coffee this morning; say a kind word to a stranger, hold the door for someone, look someone you love in the eyes and tell them you love them, show them their worth. Because you never know what these small acts of kindness could do for someone else. Your attitude could change their day, you could be the light they need. I hope that Kate Spade has found the peace that she sought and I pray her family are able to bear their grief.
In scrolling through Instagram this morning, I read one of Christopher Poindexter’s poems. In light of Kate Spade’s death, it resonated with me.
{Image: The Selby, Kate & Andy Spade in their home, November 2010}
{Poem: Christopher Poindexter}