Elyce Arons is the co-founder of Kate Spade and Frances Valentine and a longtime resident of Bridgehampton. Her recent memoir, “We Might Just Make It After All,” provides a heartfelt portrait of her decades-long friendship with the late legendary designer Kate Spade (Katy). The pair had enjoyed many lively summers together on the East End.
Elyce began her career in publicity and marketing before starting the multi-billion-dollar bag company Kate Spade alongside Katy, Katy’s husband Andy Spade, and Pamela Bell out of a downtown New York City apartment.
Elyce will appear at the East Hampton Library’s Authors Night on August 9, and she is hosting a talk at The Church in Sag Harbor on August 10, with additional events planned at Sag Harbor’s Frances Valentine store. Signed copies are available at Sag Harbor Books, BookHampton, and Barnes & Noble in Bridgehampton.
We had a conversation with Elyce to learn more about the book.
What motivated you to write “We Might Just Make It After All” now, and what was the emotional journey like in revisiting such personal memories?
It took me over five years to find the strength to write this book. Not because I didn’t know what to say, but because I knew that once I started, everything would come rushing back — the joy, the laughter, the hard moments, the grief. I wanted to write while the memories still felt vivid, before time softened the details too much. Revisiting our story was both painful and healing. The process reminded me that Katy’s legacy isn’t defined by how her life ended, but by the decades of creativity, connection, and friendship that came before.
Your friendship with Kate Spade spans decades — what made that bond so enduring and unique?
Katy and I met on our first day of college, and from that moment on, we were nearly inseparable. We built our lives from our scrappy college years to moving to New York City and finally launching a business with our two other partners. What made our bond so special was our shared sense of humor, respect, and loyalty. We laughed endlessly, we disagreed sometimes, but above all, we showed up for each other for nearly four decades.
Brooke Shields described the memoir as a story about profound love and loss. How did you navigate sharing your grief publicly?
Grief is so personal, and for a long time, I kept mine private. But eventually, I realized that part of honoring Katy’s legacy meant being honest about the depth of our friendship and the pain of losing her. I wanted to share the full picture — not just the successful moments, but the messy, human ones too. It was important to me that this book didn’t focus on her final chapter, but on the life she lived before then. In sharing my grief, I’ve also found connection — so many people carry similar stories of loss and love. That has been unexpectedly comforting.
Can you share a bit about your time spent together on the East End? Do you have a favorite memory?
The East End was one of Katy’s favorite places, but gave her terrible allergies in the spring and summer, so she loved the winter months the most. One of my favorite memories is a simple one: sitting on the porch late into the evening, sipping wine, watching the light change, and laughing about something that probably only the two of us would find funny. There are several more in the book, but I won’t spoil it for you by retelling those here.
With upcoming events at The Church, Authors Night, and Frances Valentine stores, what are you most looking forward to about being face-to-face with readers?
What I’m most excited about is hearing people’s stories. Over the years, so many women have told me what their first Kate Spade bag meant to them — how it marked a milestone, a turning point, or a personal triumph. I wrote this book in part for those women, and being able to connect with them directly, to listen and share in their experiences, feels like the most meaningful part of this journey.
