Karley “Slutever” Sciortino Walks Kate Spade New York
If you aren’t familiar with the writer Karley Sciortino, think of her as the millennial version of the fictional Carrie Bradshaw. Both women are dating and relationship columnists for Vogue; albeit Sciortino’s real-world dispatches are much more juicy, sex-positive, and informed. Sciortino, like Bradshaw, has also published a book (Slutever: Dispatches From a Sexually Autonomous Woman in a Post‑Shame). And now, like Bradshaw in the 2001 Sex and the City episode “The Real Me”—when the character infamously walks a runway before tripping and becoming “fashion roadkill”—Sciortino has made her very own New York Fashion Week cameo, at Kate Spade New York’s Spring 2020 show. This morning, in the lush location of the Elizabeth Street Garden, the writer confidently strutted out in a pert white skirt set, with a retro scarf tied around her waist, a red bag, and XXL-sized round black sunglasses.
At first glance, Sciortino’s cameo might seem like an odd combination: the prim uptown-ness of an iconic brand mixed with a modern bombshell writer who can wax poetic about, yes, foursomes. But it’s actually a match made in fashion heaven—and the two share a history. Sciortino modeled for the label in its Spring 2015 campaign, and was featured in the brand’s fourth book, She: Muses, Visionaries and Madcap Heroines. Sciortino’s philosophy on clothing also aligns neatly with the label’s attitude. “I have always loved playing with characters for years,” says Sciortino. “I have said that my fashion inspiration was Elle Woods, and then I said that my aspiration was to look like a slutty senator’s wife. I think that Kate Spade embodies this idea of fashion, beauty, and playfulness, and there is a real self-awareness. You feel like a character in their clothing, but not so much that it overshadows yourself.”
While the brand might not directly align with the phrase “slutty senator’s wife,” Sciortino has a point about the artful whimsy of the label. Kate Spade New York’s creative director, Nicola Glass, agrees. “Our brand and Karley have a lot in common. We’re both frank, and don’t take ourselves too seriously,” she says. “We try to find the interesting things in the everyday, and we always like to do something a little unexpected.”
As for the debut? Sciortino, who is known for baring intimate details of her personal life on the Internet, was nervous about walking. “As a writer, these things are conflated. People are like, ‘You are so outgoing,’ but it is easy to be outgoing or revealing from the privacy of your bed, writing on your laptop,” she says. “I think the ability to walk in the runway show and have a serious face seems quite hard.” Her secret weapon? A pair of sunglasses, that according to Sciortino felt “self-protective.” And unlike Ms. Bradshaw’s face plant, Sciortino finished her walk in the most Sciortino way possible: with confidence, grace, and plenty of allure.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
