Kate Spade's Iconic "Sam" Is Vintage
You can buy the reissued version or the OG on resale sites.
The first purse I recall being aware of was the Kate Spade Sam.
My mom had a black version made of fashion’s most logical and forgiving fabric—black nylon. The Sam was released in 1993, as part of the late Kate Spade’s first collection. It could hold a lot, but not in a disorganized schleppy sort of way. It was ‘90s, working girl, minimalist chic. It was cool.
New York Post reporter Libby Callaway told readers a Kate Spade Sam was a status symbol of 2000. “Be it in nylon, suede, tweed, chintz, leather, canvas or straw… Just make sure your Kate sports that tiny tell-tale black label on one side.” (P.S. Libby is now a vintage store owner in Nashville! And a friend. Small world.)
The brand recently reissued the bag. They’re a close match to the OG and cute. For the re-release, logo hopped into a time machine, returning to that coveted little black label Libby mentions (more recent designs have had it reimagined in gold hardware or embossed). But there’s plenty of the first iteration bags floating around the internet…of course for a better deal.
That Kate Spade label will be your sign that you’re getting a made-in-the ‘90s Sam. I added a black-on-black nylon that’s an exact match to the one my mom had to my collection. You can have it too, here. Or here, if eBay is your preferred method of shopping madness.
The playful variations are still around, too. Lipstick red. Black with picnic blanket gingham guts. Pert gingham on the outside. And why am I showing you this fuzzy leopard Sam when I think I need it, also? Somebody stop me. Or, somebody else get one too and match me?
They did a lavender that was so beautiful!