MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Kathy Deane, Author and Fashion Expert, Our Coverage Sponsored by Miraclesuit® and Miraclebody® Jeans by Miraclesuit®®
Kathy Deane
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A lifelong photographer and writer, Kathryn grew up a seventh generation New Yorker who spent her summers in Bermuda. Kathryn recently retired from her position as President and CEO of The Tobe Report, a prestigious international fashion-merchandising consultancy, which Vanity Fair has referred to as “the bible” of the fashion industry. During her two decades at Tobe, Kathryn published a weekly fashion-merchandising magazine and consulted for prominent retailers such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue as well as global brands and fashion magazines.
Before taking over at Tobe, Kathryn and her husband Richard Krantz founded Warehouse, one of the first fast fashion retailers to succeed in the United States. While at Warehouse, Kathryn oversaw its growth to fifteen stores including two in downtown Manhattan. Kathryn has appeared on ABC, CNN and Bloomberg News as a leading fashion authority, and has been quoted in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the BBC, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
Kathryn has always been active in a number of educational and not-for-profit organizations, including the Trinity College Board of Visitors and The Rockefeller University Council.
A graduate of Duke University, Kathryn and her husband Richard were married in Bermuda, and have three wonderful children, Tarara, Tucker and Tyler, all of whom consider Bermuda their home. She is one of the authors of Bermuda Spirit, which we highly recommended: http://www.whomyouknow.com/2012/03/read-this-bermuda-spirit-by-georgia.html We are so pleased to present Kathy Deane as our latest Mover and Shaker! Peachy Deegan interviewed Kathy Deane for Whom You Know.
Peachy Deegan: What is your first Bermuda memory?
Kathy Deane: I remember riding on a moped with my father when I was four years old. Mopeds are very popular on the island because tourists aren’t allowed to rent cars.
What is your first Manhattan memory?
I grew up in Greenwich Village and I remember playing in the fountain at Washington Square Park with my siblings.
How would you compare and contrast Bermuda and Manhattan?
They are both islands but beyond that the similarities end. Our life in Manhattan is very cosmopolitan and that’s what we love about it but when we’re on Bermuda we take time to relax, go to the beach, read, and spend as much time on the water as possible.
What did you learn most from writing Bermuda Spirit and is it your first book?
Bermuda is my first book and the best part about putting it together was interacting with all the people that I interviewed and photographed. I’m still in touch with most of them and I made what I hope are many lifelong friends.
What views do you have on fashion today?
Fashion is more a matter of individual style than it ever has been before. People are more comfortable dressing for themselves and less likely to follow a fashion magazine bandwagon.
What or who has had the most influence on your pursuit of excellence?
My mother, Marjorie Schlesinger Deane. She was a successful businesswoman, fashion icon, and loving caring mother.
What are you proudest of and why?
My children, Tarara, Tucker, and Tyler. They are kind, interesting, and represent what’s best of me and my husband Richard.
What would you like to do professionally that you have not yet had the opportunity to do?
I’m currently looking into a few more book ideas and would be excited to build on what we’ve accomplished with Bermuda.
What is your favorite place to be in Manhattan?
On Sundays I love to have brunch with my family at The Standard, take a walk on the high line, and then go shopping and visit a few art galleries.
What is your favorite shop in Manhattan?
I’m a big fan of Roberta Freymann.
What is your favorite drink?
Vodka martini—straight up with a twist.
What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you at a cocktail party?
I had a cocktail party once and someone left her coat. After trying in vain to find the rightful owner I decided to start wearing it myself and twenty years later I wore it to a party at my friend’s house only to have her scream in delight that it was hers!
What is your favorite restaurant in Manhattan?
Sette Mezzo.
What is your favorite Manhattan book?
The Power Broker by Robert Caro. It’s about Robert Moses and anyone interested in the recent history of New York City should read it.
Who would you like to be for a day and why?
Slim Aarons. His photographic eye and style are legendary.
If you could have anything in Manhattan named after you what would it be and why?
I love Central Park and have spent much of my life playing, running, cross country skiing, and cycling there so it would be nice to have a walkway named after me.
What has been your best Manhattan athletic experience?
Running the marathon.
What is your favorite thing to do in Manhattan that you can do nowhere else?
Spend the day at the Metropolitan Museum.
If you could have dinner with any person living or passed, who would it be and why?
Thomas Jefferson. He’s my favorite of our founding fathers.
What has been your best Manhattan art or music experience?
I was a docent at the International Center of Photography and I got to meet many of the photographers who exhibited there.
What do you personally do or what have you done to give back to the world?
All of the profits from the sale of Bermuda go to four of the island’s charities.
What do you think is most underrated and overrated here?
Underrated- WNYC’s programming.
Overrated- most of our parades
Other than Movers and Shakers of course, what is your favorite Whom You Know column and what do you like about it?
I enjoy the Read This column because I’m always hunting for new books to read.
Have you drank The Peachy Deegan yet and if not, why not?
I haven’t but am planning to order one the next time I go to Swifty’s.
What else should Whom You Know readers know about you?
Although I wasn’t credited in the titles I worked as a production assistant on both The Deep and The Bermuda Depths, which were filmed in Bermuda while I was at college.
How would you like to be contacted by Whom You Know readers?
