{NM Daily}

Home With Kate Spade’s Deborah Lloyd

As chief creative officer for Kate Spade New York. Deborah Lloyd oversees all creative aspects of the Kate Spade and Jack Spade brands, including product design, merchandising, creative services and public relations. She came to Kate Spade in 2007 after 6 years at Banana Republic and 5 years at Burberry, where she racked up several British Fashion Council awards. She now lives in Brooklyn with her husband, in a townhouse filled with vintage furniture, photography, fashion illustration and modern art they’ve collected.

NM: Kate Spade has expanded so much over the past few years, especially with the launch of apparel. What’s your favorite part about building a whole lifestyle brand, compared with working strictly as a designer?

DL: It’s wonderful. I’m the one that ties all the pieces together. I have my fingers in every pie. Launching apparel was huge for us. People said, ‘oh now I know what the girl looks like,’ and it made it easer to explore the rest of her lifestyle.

NM: How much of the girl is you?

DL: It’s partly my personal sensibility but it’s more that I associate with the girl we’ve built up.

NM: Where does the design process start for you each season?

DL: Probably color. A feeling. What our girl is going to be doing in those months, the storytelling. Where is she going, what is she exploring and finding interesting? Color, prints, fabrics, styling. At the moment I’m putting Summer ‘12 together, and I’m just concepting Fall.

NM: How do you think your experiences at Burberry and Banana Republic have prepared you for your role at Kate Spade?

DL: Burberry taught me how to look at the DNA of a brand and extract the essence, and bring it to life. Banana Republic was the first time I came to America and learned to work with a big team with many different things going on.

NM: Where are you from?

DL: I’m British. From the southwest coast of England, Plymouth. I have a house overlooking where the Mayflower set sail.

NM: Kate Spade is such a New York brand. What effect does your British background have?

DL: Our girl loves to travel. The Brits have always been travelers too, because our island is pretty small. It helps to understand the whimsy and color, which are very close to my heart.

NM: Can you describe the girl?

DL: We always say she’s quick, curious, playful and smart. The only thing she’s worried about is being bored. She’s full of life, doesn’t mind standing out, wants to start a conversation, wants to be asked about her clothes. She’s thoughtful, classy, put-together. But there’s something a little bit off. She might have turquoise nails.

NM: Has it been challenging to fill the shoes of Kate Spade the founder?

DL: It’s a job I love, and the Spades left amazing DNA, so I just get on with what I do and what I love.

NM: How did you come to have this lovely home?

DL: We found Brooklyn was a wonderful community, with lots of artists and creatives and greenery. It reminded me of Notting Hill, where I lived in London. International cafes, multicultural, just very exciting. Of course I wanted a dog, so it was nice to have a garden. This was the first house I saw. I saw others but my heart was set on it.

NM: What’s your approach to decorating?

DL: It’s got all the things I’ve brought home on my travels, and each floor has a different flavor. The kitchen and dining room downstairs are more contemporary. The parlor floor is very much the travel theme. It has those zebra prints with the graphic shots of pink and green. The bedroom floor is much more romantic and harks back to my time in Paris. It’s more boudoir and feminine.

NM: Where do you source things for your home?

DL: Whenever I travel I manage to find a flea market or antique center.

NM: Kate Spade always has fantastic prop styling, in your stores and your showroom.

DL: All the owls and vintage books, the black and white photographs, midcentury modern furniture—they’re all very close to my heart.

NM: Do you think your home is very Kate Spade?

DL: I think it’s a mix. I have to keep a balance because of my husband. He doesn’t want everything to be color and pattern. And I find it good to come home to a more neutral base. I use color on a seasonal basis, and flowers. You can change the mood with an amazing bouquet.

To shop Neiman Marcus exclusives from Kate Spade, click here.