Next year’s cheer from kate spade new york

The 2010 agenda features twelve pairs of… {You think I’m going to say shoes, don’t you?}…mischievous words, which is to say homonyms: words that sound alike, but are spelled slightly differently and mean totally different things. Each pair is used in a charming sentence, as a caption to a wonderful, whimsical illustration by Bella Foster. Actually, there are eleven pairs, plus this ménage à trois in March: It takes two to tango, and to tussle too. Happily, the “Kate Spade girl” dancing in the illustration is not wearing a tutu. No, no, she is wearing a black sheath, well-toned biceps and teal heels.

I chatted with Theresa Canning Zast, director of creative services, about the 2010 calendar project in the context of the brand. “We have always identified with grammar and proper usage, from a playing-with-words sensibility. This year, everyone on the kate spade new york creative team suggested our ‘favorite offenders,’ and then we chose our final dozen. Writing the sentence for each was a group effort as well.” Theresa and I happen to share the same favorite: Never content to remain stationary, she writes home on her personalized stationery.

Back to Theresa: “Kate Spade has a history of partnering with artists. This was our first collaboration with Bella Foster – you’ll want to check out her blog too. She worked many elements that inspire us into her illustrations. On the cover, for example, you see things we actually have pinned on our walls: an iconic Penguin book cover of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, a photograph of Jackie O., a Miro print. There’s the red Olivetti that we love. We collaborated with Bella on all of the imagery – and you’ll see the illustrations on several products in our holiday line.” {These will be in stores next month.}

I ask about the retro sensibility and classic details. Theresa says, “I think our love of paper is clear, and our love of the handwritten note. We realize that most people use electronic calendars now, so this year we have reformatted the 2010 agenda.  There are no pages for daily appointments, just a monthly calendar because we know you are buying it for the pretty pictures! We do offer the daily appointments in our canvas or leather agendas.”

“Our brand also stands for color, which was another reason to partner with Bella. Her use of color is so brilliant. This is also why we decided to print the calendar on Superfine, to keep the colors vibrant. Bella’s hand captured the feminine side of the brand, but still sophisticated – not girly or junior, not too serious. Bella’s beautiful illustrations show ‘our spirited girl’ in her colorful world – on this beautiful paper.”

By the way, at katespade.com, you can click on Behind the Curtain > Projects, and take a peek back in time… at the 2007 and 2008 calendars. The 2007 artwork was done in paper collage by hand; the 2008 theme was turns of phrase. I am so sorry I missed them in real time.

Alyson Kuhn, the editor of Felt & Wire, so looks forward to using her new agenda, that she can barely stay stationary.