Quick and Curious and Playful and Strong

A couple of months ago, I visited The Strand in search of a birthday gift for a good friend. I decided to get a book but also wanted one of the iconic Strand totebags to put the book in. Cue the Kate Spade tote with the logo “She is quick and curious and playful and strong.” Perfect! I bought it immediately and my friend loved the gift.

Since then, I learned that Spade not only designed a tote for the famous bookstore, but also commissioned a group of seven short stories written by female authors to be sold exclusively at The Strand. The authors all incorporated the phrase from the tote bag (and title of the project) into their stories. I thought this was a really interesting project, and though I haven’t read any of the stories, I’m curious (ha!).

It’s really important that a designer as influential and prominent as Kate Spade has made it a priority to highlight literacy as cool and sexy. In addition to the collaboration with The Strand, the Kate Spade winter collection features clutches and totes with books such as Great Expectations and the Great Gatsby as the design.  I would be a happy lady with one of those cute clutches. It doesn’t hurt that I really like Kate Spade, but I still applaud her creative thinking!