So, I think it’s a pretty well-known fact – kids love to play dress up! Personally, I was never into the super heroes and while I loved princesses I never wanted to be one. What I loved was dressing up in my mom’s high-heels, pearls and purses. I loved looking through all the options in her closet and trying everything on. Does this sound familiar to any of you? Now, flash forward 20 years, I still love fashion and dressing up, I just have my own heels, pearls and purses.

For many of us, fashion is a huge part of our personal statements. It allows us to express our own personal style and encourages us to exude confidence and courageousness. The perfect shoe, accessory or purse is like gold, adding a dash of fabulousness to any outfit. Many brands these days take pride in encouraging women to create their own personal style – one brand that comes to mind in particular is Kate Spade.

Starting in 1993 Kate Spade, herself, wanted to design the perfect handbag. Through combining sleek, utilitarian shapes and colorful palettes in an entirely new way, Kate Spade New York was born. As a company Kate Spade prides itself in the crisp color, graphic prints and playful sophistication that is brought to each new category they enter, from handbags and clothing to jewelry, shoes, stationary, eyewear, baby, fragrance, tabletop, bedding and gifts. Kate Spade now has over 180 stores around the world and is sold in more than 400 stores worldwide. If you’re not familiar with Kate Spade, go look at the website – you’ll fall in love, trust me!

Besides having a fabulous design team, Kate Spade also has an amazing marketing team. Through their combined efforts they have created a powerhouse brand. It’s nearly impossible to walk past a Kate Spade store or display and not stop and look at their newest items on display. Even their emails in my inbox get me every time!

With the rise of omni-channel in today’s society many brick and mortar retailers are having to re-think their marketing and sales plans to accommodate consumers. While Kate Spade does sell their products on their website and many other websites, they have taken a unique approach to drive consumers to still shop in their stores. The Kate Spade flagship in Japan has started a new marketing campaign in order to get the attention of millennials that are hooked on internet shopping. Every Saturday the store creates new displays and advertisements that release exclusive clothing that can only be found in that specific store.

You may be thinking, wow that’s a lot of money to spend on displays and advertisements each week, but of course Kate Spade was already one step ahead. They went digital and embraced iPads as a major part of their marketing campaign in-stores. There are now iPads in the Kate Spade stores that display a “simple, elegant and deceptively basic focal point that draws customers to their products.” Using iPads also allows corporate campaigns to be launched worldwide, but also allows for customization by local managers.

While their new iPad campaign is helping drive customers to the store, the Kate Spade blog is a tool that has helped drive consumers to their website. Blogs are extremely important with the increased use of online and mobile shopping. They differentiate you from your competitors but also provide an easy way to market your products and interact with readers. The Kate Spade blog offers readers everything from insights from Deborah Lloyd, the Chief Creative Officer, to How To’s, Music Mondays, Places To Go People To See and my favorite, Things We Love. Whether it’s the creative layout or colorful images that catch your eye, the Kate Spade blog will have you hooked for hours.

I’m sorry if you are now looking at the Kate Spade website and dying to have a closet full of their products – welcome to my life! There is good news though, if you sign up for Kate Spade emails you can get 15% off your first purchase. Kate Spade also offers student discounts! Sadly, the 15% student discounts are not offered through online verification, but are available at Kate Spade stores with a valid student ID!

As Kate Spade would say, go “live colorfully,” happy shopping!