Podcast Summary: Totally Booked with Zibby – Elyce Arons, We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship with Kate Spade

Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Elyce Arons
Date: December 25, 2025
Episode Length (content): Approximately 30 minutes

Main Theme

This episode features Elyce Arons, co-founder of Kate Spade and Frances Valentine, discussing her new memoir, We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship with Kate Spade. The conversation intertwines themes of enduring friendship, creative entrepreneurship, personal loss, and the joyful—and sometimes chaotic—experience of building an iconic fashion brand. Zibby and Elyce explore the depth of Elyce’s relationship with Kate Spade, the birth and growth of Kate Spade as a business, and how grief and legacy shape a creative life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Genesis of Friendship and Business

[04:30 – 06:41]

• Elyce recounts meeting Kate (“Katie”) Spade at 18 in Kansas and their early, scrappy years as roommates in New York.
• The book emerged after Elyce, her husband, and partner Pamela Bell reminisced over old stories and realized the significance of their shared journey.
• Elyce heavily relied on her old calendars and notebooks to accurately capture the timeline and details for the memoir.

Quote:
"We'd known each other since we were 18 years old and we had been through so much... Being broke, college kids together... You kind of feel like you don’t have much to lose." (Elyce Arons, 04:30)

Approaching Grief and Memory

[06:58 – 09:10]

• Zibby poignantly expresses condolences on the loss of Kate Spade.
• Elyce intentionally focuses her book on Kate’s exuberant life, humor, and spirit, rather than her passing, underlining the importance of celebrating how Kate lived.

Quote:
"Rather than focusing on her death and how she died, the book really focuses on how she lived. I want people to know the Katie that I knew — that feisty, funny person... She was truly the funniest person I’d ever met." (Elyce Arons, 07:48)

• Elyce acknowledges the unresolved nature of Kate’s passing and her ongoing efforts to focus on positive memories.

Creating the Kate Spade Brand: Accidents & Insight

[09:10 – 13:29]

• The Kate Spade name, originally devised by Andy Spade before marrying Katie, was met with resistance by Katie, who was shy and didn’t seek the spotlight.
• The iconic label on the outside of the bags—a last-minute, pre-show design decision—transformed the product from ordinary bags to an instantly recognizable brand.

Quote:
"Katie just looked at them all, you know, from a distance, and she’s such a good editor, and she said, 'There’s something missing. We need somewhere for the eye to go.' ...That one little thing... took it from a handbag company to a brand." (Elyce Arons, 11:51)

The Early Days and Business Dynamics

[16:37 – 19:47]

• The founders brought diverse backgrounds—editorial, marketing, production—but had no business plan, or financial roadmap.
• Early years were marked by hands-on, sometimes contentious teamwork, eventually evolving into clear roles. Katie focused on design, Elyce on sales and PR, Pamela on production.

Quote:
"We never had a business plan—ever. And so thank goodness we didn’t know what we didn’t know because I don’t know if we would have started it." (Elyce Arons, 16:37)

• The team’s scrappiness, cross-functional effort, and willingness to learn on the fly proved essential to the brand’s rapid rise.

Finding Joy and Resilience amid Setbacks

[19:52 – 27:13]

• After selling Kate Spade and an intended hiatus, Elyce and Katie reunited to launch Frances Valentine, finding themselves required to adapt to changes in the fashion industry—e-commerce, influencers, and social media.
• Katie’s passing deeply affected the new team, but Elyce led the brand forward, paying tribute to Kate by remaking beloved vintage caftans and sweaters.

Quote:
"We kept doing accessories because that was what Katie loved. But in a tribute to Katie, I wanted to do something special... Every time we bring a new piece in, I have to imagine Katie in it and loving it, because she did love her vintage pieces." (Elyce Arons, 20:46)

• Customer feedback and loyalty are repeatedly cited as a sustaining force through personal, operational, and marketplace challenges.

The Power of Community & Midwestern Roots

[25:47 – 27:13]

• Elyce attributes her (and the team’s) resolve to Midwestern grit and their tight-knit support system – both professionally and socially. Sharing stories with enthusiastic customers helped buoy spirits in tough moments.

Friendship, Family, and Social Life

[27:13 – 29:03]

• Zibby comments on the vibrancy of Elyce’s social circle as described in the book—constant gatherings and creative energy.
• Elyce explains her love for people and parties, and how her marriage complemented this personality, describing New York’s “gritty and rough-around-the-edges” heyday fondly.

On Creativity, Inspiration, and the Transition to Author

[29:47 – 32:43]

• Elyce enthusiastically discusses her design wall and workspace as sources of constant inspiration, suggesting crossover possibilities (e.g., book covers, wallpaper) for her vintage prints and bold colors.
• Marketing her memoir is a new challenge; writing was unexpectedly therapeutic and collaborative, especially with input from her husband and partners.
• Elyce encourages aspiring memoirists to record stories as they come and to consult old friends for forgotten anecdotes.

Quote:
"I adored writing this. It was really, really wonderful. I would do it all over again. I really thoroughly enjoyed the process... I would suggest to start writing your stories down." (Elyce Arons, 30:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On grief and legacy:
  "I'm still searching myself for answers to that question, and I don't know that I'll ever find them. So I have to go on, and I have to focus on all the good things she was and keep her spirit alive." (Elyce Arons, 08:45)

• On what makes a lasting brand:
  "That one little thing took it from a handbag company to a brand." (Elyce Arons, 13:16)

• Zibby, empathizing as a fellow entrepreneur:
  "And that is such a gift. I mean, I can feel the people, like, driving their cars, listening to this and being like, oh, if only I felt like that." (Zibby Owens, 19:37)

• On fashion design philosophy:
  "The main feature...they have to bring joy to the wearer. So we use a lot of color and a lot of vintage prints...our motto is: wear what makes you happy." (Elyce Arons, 22:45)

• On the importance of pockets:
  "And the model who had it on, she goes, 'Oh my God, it's got pockets.'" (Elyce Arons, 24:52)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:30 | Elyce describes the origins of her friendship with Katie and early New York years. | | 06:58 | Discussing grief, losing Kate, and the book’s focus on life and humor. | | 09:10 | Origin of “Kate Spade”—brand identity and reluctant spotlight for Katie. | | 11:51 | The famous label-on-the-outside story; how a detail made the brand iconic. | | 16:37 | Early business structure, diverse skill sets, and learning by doing. | | 20:46 | Founding Frances Valentine in a changed fashion landscape; honoring Kate’s legacy. | | 24:52 | “And it has pockets”—joyful little design choices and celebrating customers. | | 25:47 | Resilience and the role of community feedback and customer enthusiasm. | | 27:42 | Balancing friendship and work; Elyce’s vibrant social approach. | | 29:47 | Creative inspiration—translating design philosophy across categories. | | 30:24 | Elyce on writing: therapeutic process, advice to aspiring memoirists. |

Episode Tone and Style

The conversation is warm, anecdotal, and full of “insider” moments about fashion, entrepreneurship, and personal connections. Elyce is candid, lively, and thoughtful, while Zibby brings both professional curiosity and heartfelt empathy, especially around themes of friendship, grief, and creative legacy.

For Listeners

This episode is a must-listen for fans of memoirs, fashion industry insiders, creative entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in the joys and challenges of long-term friendship and collaboration. Elyce’s stories illuminate both the public success and private moments behind a beloved brand, offering inspiration and practical insight.

Recommended Reading:

• We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship with Kate Spade by Elyce Arons

Follow the show:

• Instagram: @totallybookedwithzibby
• More info: zibbymedia.com

To experience Elyce’s vibrancy and wisdom, and to discover new favorite reads, Totally Booked with Zibby offers a window into the creative journeys behind the books everyone will be talking about.