Kate Spade Fashion Show Pays Homage to Late Designer With Glitter (Exclusive)

ET caught up with creative director Nicola Glass at NYFW on how the legacy of Spade resonates through the collection.

Kate Spade New York brightened up New York Fashion Week with the brand's first-ever runway show on Friday. 

Debuting new creative director Nicola Glass' designs, the line, which previously only stuck to presentations, sent colorful wares and whimsical accessories down the pink runway, which paid a special tribute to the late designer who died in June. Spade sold the company in 2006 and stepped down from the brand completely in 2007, but her name continued to remain.

"I feel that all the work I do with the team is a legacy to her because it's still her name," Glass told ET's Kristen Gill. "We were listening to a lot of the tributes after Kate's passing and one of the phrases that really kept resonating was she left a little bit of sparkle wherever she went and we wanted to use that in a way to tribute her today, so there's an element of sparkle throughout the collection -- whether it's a touch in the makeup or there's a line in the middle of the runway that's this beautiful pink carpet that is a glitter line, so that's one of the ways were tributing to her." 

JP Yim/Getty Images
JP Yim/Getty Images
JP Yim/Getty Images

The line of glitter wasn't the only element that exuded Spade's spirit. The spring/summer 2019 collection was brimming with vibrant hues from pastel lilacs and yellows to bold blues and pinks rendered in feminine frocks, polished separates, ladylike bags and boots -- capturing Spade's cheery, playful vision of fashion. 

"Well, for me for the brand it was going back to the very beginning and looking at color and very optimistic, joyful women and very spirited women and that was really one of the starting points when I started working with the brand," Glass said. 

Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

Glass, who was previously at Michael Kors, and her team have been working hard on the collection for six months and hopes "it's a little bit familiar but completely new at the same time" with its unexpected mix of colors and prints. Notably, the Spade logo, which is now accompanied with a heart on top as a twist lock for the brand's new range of bags. 

Celebs decked out in Kate Spade flocked to the show in support of Glass' debut. Peek the star-studded front row ahead. 

Priyanka Chopra

Desiree Navarro/WireImage

Elizabeth Olsen

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Kate Bosworth 

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Suki Waterhouse 

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Gillian Jacobs

Desiree Navarro/WireImage

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