Omaha Fashion Week is thrilled to host award-winning fashion journalist Kate Betts as our special guest this season! A best-selling author and award-winning magazine editor, Kate Betts has held top positions at two of the world’s most successful fashion magazines, Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. In 2003 she was named editor at large at Time magazine where she created the first globally published style supplement, Time Style & Design, in addition to writing and managing a popular blog for Time.com and covering the business of fashion for the newsweekly.
We sat down with Kate Betts to discuss what she loves most about her life, the fashion industry, and the world.
What has been your favorite occupation?
I call myself a content creator now, what we would have called a magazine editor back in the pre-digital days. I grew up in magazines and fashion trades, but in my heart, I’m a reporter. I love to discover and tell people’s stories, where ideas and trends come from, how things are made and why. The other day a very smart, sophisticated CEO of a major fashion brand asked me if I wrote my own books or if I had someone write them for me. I was shocked! I’m a writer first and foremost. And although I’ve ghostwritten books and blurbs and copy for many people, my own written work and voice is — I hope — my “brand” and trademark.
As an author, you must have an opinion on this. What is your favorite book genre?
I love historical fiction. I also love — and wish I could write — epistolary fiction.
Who are your favorite fashion designers?
Oh lá lá! Hard to pick one. I have so many favorites. I would say, over the years I have personally loved wearing the clothes of Miuccia Prada, Helmut Lang, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Sophie Theallet, and Martin Grant.
Kate Betts and Karl Lagerfeld.
What season of fashion is your favorite?
Fall. Coats are my thing.
What pieces in your closet do you adore?
I have a few silk shirts by the Italian company La Double J. They take vintage Italian prints and fabrics and reproduce them. The colors and prints are so unique and beautiful. I also ordered a beautiful Martin Grant coat last fall, it’s a chevron tweed coat kind of in the bubble shape of Balenciaga and I absolutely love it!
What is the best thing about the fashion industry?
It changes so quickly.
What is your favorite memory from childhood?
My mother’s closet. She had an incredible sense of style and I remember trying on all her shoes and looking through her wardrobe.
Kate Betts and friend in Café Flore in Paris, France.
What kind of food speaks to your soul?
French! Cooking is something I learned to do when I lived in Paris so I’ve always loved the whole experience of French cuisine—going to the market, cooking a family dinner, cooking seasonally.
What cocktail is your go-to?
I don’t drink cocktails, but I love French wine.
Where do you have to go for date night?
My husband proposed to me at a bistro in Paris called Chez Georges and it remains one of the most romantic spots.
As a public figure, have you had embarassing moments?
I’m terrible with names and I often forget people’s names which is horrifying to me. But, I love public speaking, so I never get embarrassed when addressing a crowd. When I was 15, my mother took me to a public speaking course with a famous voice coach named Dorothy Sarnoff. She had published a book called “Never Be Nervous Again,” and she taught students skills to master public speaking. It was the greatest gift. I still use the Sarnoff techniques.
What is the best thing to do on a day off?
I love to read and I also love to shop, not to buy things necessarily, but to sniff around and see what’s out there and who’s buying what. Especially when I travel I always take a day off for myself to walk and explore and go into shops and cafes and look at things and look at people and talk to people. It’s a great way to learn about a city or a small town.
What songs do you have on repeat?
Gosh, this is a hard one! I’m a 70s kid so The Rolling Stones, Prince, David Bowie are always on my playlists. But lately my 15-year-old daughter has me listening to Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande!
Where do you prefer to vacation?
France! Especially Paris and Southwestern France.
Where is your favorite city in the world?
I took my family to Venice last summer and it is a city I could go back to a million times and still discover something new.
What is your favorite thing about New York?
It’s hard to imagine living anywhere else.
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